Some Like It Hot
by reluctant-reporter
Summary: A strange fire brings two new partners much closer to each other then expected. Set after episode three and goes A/U from there.
1. Chapter 1

So, I should be working on two other stories I'm in the middle of writing but Haven is my new favorite show and writing a story about it was just an itch I had to scratch. When looking up CIP (the disorder that Nathan has) I found that while people who have it can't feel pain or temperature (actually, some can feel temperature but not all), they can feel sensation. Please review; it's my personal drug of choice. Oh, and I do not own Haven or the characters, bummer. Story takes place after episode three. Anyway, on with the show….-

Due to past experience, Nathan Wournos knew that phone calls in the dead of night never produced good news. It was something he'd learned as a kid since his father was an officer for the Haven Police Department. He could remember getting up and getting ready for school and there would be an empty chair at the kitchen table where his father usually sat. On those days, his mom always made pancakes, which was Nathan's favorite food. His father preferred eggs, pancakes were too sweet in the morning for him, so when Officer Wournos received an early call into work then Nathan was too jazzed about eating the seldom made food to worry about the call or his father's safety. His mother was a smart woman.

After she died, things changed. Nathan became a teenager and late night calls and his father's absence in the morning became a relief, a reprieve from the tension between the two. That old saying about how you could cut the tension in the room with a knife was only too true in the Wournos household. It also meant that Nathan might go an entire day without seeing his father because late night phone calls usually made for long work hours. Lack of supervision led to Nathan getting into plenty of trouble with his buddy, Duke Crocker, who went from best friend to worst enemy in the blink of an eye. Their falling out was one of the few times that his father had been right about something, or in this case someone.

"You stay away from that Crocker hooligan. He ain't worth spit and will only bring trouble and pain to anyone he's close too, mark my words," the Chief said.

It was true but what the Chief and everyone else seemed to ignore was that the same could be said about him as well. Like the Rev. said, Nathan was alone. He preferred it that way. There was something wrong with him, and not just the CIP and his inability to feel pain and temperature, but a numbness inside that threatened to swallow him whole.

Duke had hit the nail on the head with his "real boy" comments, implying that Nathan was not a real person because he couldn't feel. Nathan easily ignored the implication that he was also impotent because that was Duke for you, always aiming below the belt. Then Nathan caught the crazy bug going around and went after Duke, only proving how much the comments and his disorder affected him. Surprisingly, Duke hadn't given him too much grief over that but Nathan was pretty sure that it was because he wanted to stay on Audrey's good side. Speaking of Audrey...

"Hello?" Nathan said, expecting to hear the sound of his new partner's voice.

For some reason, the Chief had taken a real shine to Audrey Parker so Nathan wouldn't have been surprised if she had gotten a call before him. The Chief loved to undermine his son just as his son loved to goad and disrespect his old man.

"Nate, you better get over to Parker's. There's been a fire," he heard his father say in a gruff, clipped tone.

"What? What happened? Is she all right?" Nathan asked instantly rolling out of bed and searching for the jeans he'd left on the floor while undressing for bed.

He tried and failed to ignore the way his heart started to pound, feeling like it was going to burst from his chest. And why was he sweating all of a sudden?

"She's a bit banged up, crazy girl jumped out of a second floor window, if you can believe that," his father snorted but Nathan could just hear a hint of relief in the old man's voice. "Apartment building's a complete loss, though."

"How'd it start?" Nathan asked, juggling the phone so he could put on a shirt on.

"Not sure how it started yet, still working on getting the damn fire completely out and waiting on the fire inspector," his father answered.

"Everyone else got out all right?" Nathan grunted as he tried to unknot his shoe laces once he'd reached his living room fully clothed.

"Yeah, Audrey was the only one who had any trouble. We got lucky tonight," his father said.

Nathan silently agreed with his father and answered that he would be there in a few minutes, then hung up. Clipping his gun to his belt and slipping his badge into the pocket of the jacket he put on, Nathan quickly left the small house he rented and made sure to lock the door behind him. He got into the old pickup which was his most prized possession and sped out of his driveway, taking a sharp turn towards Audrey's new place. He knew she had just moved all of her stuff into the small apartment she decided to rent "for the time being since I don't know how long I'm going to be here. I'm just a loan," and that meant that all of her possessions were probably gone know. Shit. He hoped this fire turned out to be a weird case since Audrey loved weird cases and might not feel so bad about all her stuff burning up if she was preoccupied.

He sighed. Somehow, he doubted that a weird case would really make her feel better but he still didn't know his partner well enough to judge how she might react to this so it was a small but realistic hope. Shaking his head at himself, Nathan laid his foot down on the gas pedal. The sooner he could see Audrey face to face and assure himself that she was okay, the better.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to everyone for the reviews and interest in the story. Since we haven't been given much information on the characters or what "the Troubles" are, I'm just making up stuff and expanding on what we do know at this point. I'm going to try to finish this story before the next episode airs and we're given more information that may prove me wrong. Please review and let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions.-

Audrey couldn't stop shaking. It was hard to keep the heavy wool blanket the paramedics had wrapped around her shoulders in place with the way her hands trembled and her throat burned from all the smoke she had swallowed. She stood in front of the ambulance that was parked across the street from the building she had just moved into. Luckily, the apartments had been converted a few years ago out of the shell of a former hotel which boasted a large lawn assuring that the surrounding houses remained untouched by the flames which had consumed the structure. Audrey also knew that she was very lucky that the smoke alarm in the narrow hallway between her bedroom and living room had gone off, waking her, and that there were large, fluffy bushes underneath her bedroom window to break her fall.

She hadn't been so lucky to get through the ordeal unharmed, however. She sported numerous bruises, scratches and a long, deep laceration on her left arm from breaking and jumping out of the window which she hadn't been able to open. The building itself was rather old so a window sticking wasn't that surprising, just really inconvenient in a life or death situation.

"Officer Parker, we really should get you to the hospital to get checked out," one of the young paramedics at the scene said.

The same paramedic had taped up and bandaged her arm earlier, telling her that she would need to go to the hospital for stitches. He had also forced an oxygen mask on her, covering her mouth and nose, even though she had assured him that she was fine. Sure, her throat and sinuses burned a little and yes, she was nauseous but she had no plans to throw up anytime soon.

"In a minute," Audrey said absently, watching as volunteer firemen continued to spray the structure and smoke billowed up into the sky as the fire slowly went out.

She heard the man sigh in exasperation since she continued to ignore or refuse his instructions and requests. A part of her was already in cop mode, taking in the scene and watching the faces and actions of those around her. She was pretty sure, though, that a larger part of her was in shock and behaving irrationally due to recent trauma. That would explain why she didn't notice Nathan standing in front her until she felt strong hands gently cup her shoulders and a familiar face stare down at her in concern.

"You doing okay, Audrey?" Nathan asked, his expression already telling her that he had his answer no matter what she told him.

She shrugged and tried to smile, "Been better. Hell of a way to wake up."

Nathan nodded and dropped his hands, moving so that he could stand next to her. Audrey didn't want to think about why she suddenly felt disappointed that he was no longer touching her but then she felt the weight of his arm around her shoulders, his bare arm against her uncovered neck. Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye she noticed that he had pushed up the sleeves of his jacket which was a habit he had. Everyone else was bundled up, including her, against the cold, damp night air but since Nathan couldn't feel the cold he usually wore a jacket because anyone else would. She also knew that he listened to the weather report over the radio in the mornings and paid attention to how people dressed around him throughout the day so that he knew how to dress. He didn't like to stick out more then he already did.

"I can understand that. Look, the old man is taking care of things around here and it'll be awhile until the fire inspector can start processing the building so why don't I take you to the hospital and we can get you looked at," Nathan said in a soft but firm tone.

"She's going to need stitches on the arm, the sooner the better," the paramedic said behind them.

Audrey turned her head and shot him a look that clearly said "traitor". He rolled his eyes and mumbled loudly about stubborn people making his job harder then it had to be. She felt Nathan stare at her and pry the blanket from the tight hold she'd had on it, revealing a thick white bandage which covered her arm from the wrist to her elbow. She could also feel his eyes catalogue every cut and bruise that her filthy and tattered pajamas didn't cover.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

Audrey grabbed the blanket out of his hands and wrapped it around herself again, hoping he didn't notice the way her body shook outside of the limited safety the heavy and coarse fabric gave her. She had a feeling he had noticed it since he placed his arm around her shoulders again and moved so that his side was touching hers; giving her his warmth that he couldn't feel himself. She must really look bad because Nathan wasn't one to freely touch people. Usually the only time they touched each other was when one was shoving the other out of the way of danger or pulling the other away from something or someone who might be harmful. She did notice that the longer they knew each other and the more time they spent together, the physical space between them seem to get smaller. She also noticed that Nathan smiled at her more and seemed to like the idea that she was sticking around for awhile.

"Not really, just kind of aches but nothing I can't handle," she said, her voice starting to get raspy the more she spoke.

"You'll be singing a different tune once the shock wears off," the annoying paramedic stated. "They'll give you painkillers at the hospital, though."

Audrey was starting to lose patience with the man and was getting close to telling him where he could shove his precious hospital but Nathan squeezed her shoulders, silently telling her to calm down. He then asked the paramedic for a bottle of water which was thrust in her direction. She greedily sucked down half the bottle and handed the rest to Nathan who held it in the hand that wasn't touching her.

She allowed Nathan to lead her down the street, away from the activity and gathering crowd toward his beat up truck. Opening the passenger door for her, he held her elbow as he assisted her in stepping up and sliding into the vehicle. He shut the door and walked around the other side, opening his own door the hopping into the driver's seat, settling his long limbs and buckling up with practiced ease. Starting the truck, Audrey felt herself relax a little as her seat vibrated and the truck roared to life. Leaning against the back of her seat, she stared out the window and let Nathan take care of things. At least, for now.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. I've noticed a lot of people putting this story on their alert and favorite lists which is amazing and encourages me to keep going. I might have been rash by setting the deadline for the story by Friday since my job and life in general seems to be getting in the way this week so that might not happen but I will try to keep updating frequently and will definitely finish it. I also don't want to just rush through the story to get to the end so it may get more involved and longer then I originally planned. Honestly, I don't really have a plan for this. I just like to write as I go. Remember, reviews are love and thanks for hanging in there.-

By the time the emergency room doctor had finished stitching up Audrey's arm after making sure that there were no serious signs of smoke inhalation, the sun was just making its appearance over Haven. Nathan walked beside Audrey as she slowly made her way from the exit of the hospital to his truck which was parked nearby. He could tell the adrenaline that had been keeping her upright and free of pain earlier was gone since she now reminded him of someone clumsily trying to walk around the shallow end of a swimming pool and not having much success. He considered just picking her up and carrying her but quickly dismissed the idea since it might cause her more pain to jostle her around like that. He doubted she would appreciate the gesture, anyway.

Keeping in-step with his partner, Nathan looked around the almost empty parking lot and noted that even though the sky was becoming a light grayish-blue, the sun hadn't quite managed to break through the clouds which told him that it would start raining soon. He could also smell the rain in the air.

"Going to rain soon," he said, glancing at Audrey.

She nodded in agreement, "I heard on the news that storms would be moving through the area for the next couple of days."

Nathan remembered hearing the same thing and made a mental note keep the windows of the truck rolled up when he wasn't in it. He liked to keep the vehicle aired out on nice days since it smelled kind of old and it wasn't like he had to worry about anyone stealing it. While the truck was dependable it looked like a total hunk of crap which was better than any alarm system he could have installed.

Reaching the truck a few steps ahead of Audrey, Nathan opened the passenger door for her and again helped her keep her balance while she stepped up and took a seat. He quickly moved to his side and got into the pickup, glancing up at the sky through the windshield as the first few drops of rain hit the glass.

"Think we could stop by a clothing store first before you take me to the motel?" Audrey asked, watching as the rain picked up and covered the windshield while Nathan started the truck.

Nathan turned on the windshield wipers and checked his mirrors and blind spot before pulling out of the parking space, "We can stop by the store near the diner and pick something up to eat when you're done shopping. As for a motel, you won't need it."

"Really?" Audrey asked, eyebrows scrunching together. "Unless I missed something, I no longer have a place to live which necessitates a motel room."

"Not if you have a new partner and friend offering to share his modest yet comfortable house with you until you can find a new apartment," Nathan said.

He could feel Audrey's eyes on him but Nathan kept his face forward and eyes on the road while he drove, expression as blank as he could make it. He wanted to convey that the invitation was no big deal because really, it wasn't. They were friends, after all, and friends did favors for each other. So what if he normally didn't do this kind of thing and didn't really have any other friends besides her, people generally liked him but kept their distance just like he kept his distance from them because he was different. Audrey coming to town then sticking around kind of blew that lifestyle out of the water, though, because she seemed to like that he was different.

"You're offering to let me stay with you?" Audrey asked in disbelief.

"Yup," Nathan said. "Besides, we don't know the cause of the fire yet. You're a cop and your home is now torched, it just seems kind of fishy."

"We're in Maine, everything is fishy here. Thanks for the offer but I'm not some damsel in distress," she said. "I was an FBI agent and have, well, had a gun."

"I know you can take care of yourself, Audrey, but what if the fire was intentional. We work better together then by ourselves. Isn't that one of the reason why you stayed, besides looking for your mom," he said keeping his tone low and soft, not wanting to get into an argument with her.

"You think the fire was supernatural?" she asked.

"I honestly have no idea but supernatural crap seems to follow us around, especially since you got here, so I'd rather be safe then sorry."

He briefly looked at her as she stared out the window, thinking over her options and then smiled a little as she yawned, mouth wide and eyes watering from exhaustion.

"You win," she said, smiling at him. "Thank you for the invite and feel free to kick me out when you get tired of me."

"Looking forward to it," he said, smiling back.

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It didn't take Audrey long to pick up a few days worth of clothes and a new pair of pajamas as well as shoes. Nathan had asked her where she got the tennis shoes she was currently wearing and she had told him that one of her neighbors a couple of houses down from the apartment building had loaned her an old pair of shoes while Audrey was still sitting in the back of the ambulance getting treated with oxygen. They had let her clean up at the hospital so Audrey went ahead and changed into some of her new clothes in the store's dressing room after she paid for them. They also stopped at a nearby drug store so she could pick up the toiletries she would need and to fill her prescription which she refused to take until later since it would probably make her drowsy.

Walking into the diner was like walking on stage during his first elementary school play. Nathan rolled his eyes but otherwise remained expressionless as customers and employees all turned their heads, and some even turned completely around in their seats, to stare at them as the entered.

"I think they dig my new threads," Audrey said, giving everyone a little wave and then winking at a couple sitting at table near the door whose mouths were literally open, gaping like fish.

As if a starting bell had rung, the silence broken by Audrey was soon filled by a steady stream of voices trying to be discreet but not doing a good enough job as everyone gossiped with each other over the fire, their impressions of Audrey and thoughts over Audrey and Nathan apparently having breakfast together. Nathan sighed and followed Audrey to the counter, taking the empty seat beside the one she sat at. Without looking at the menu he ordered pancakes when approached by Darlene, one of the waitresses, and did his best to ignore the curious stares around him. Sometimes, he really hated living in a small town.


	4. Chapter 4

Who didn't love Friday's episode and the strange little fashion show with the two guys from the newspaper? Also, I really dug that awkward and cute not-a-date dinner between Audrey and Nathan. As for Duke, he should just run around shirt-less all the time. Again, thanks to everyone for the reviews and interest in the story, I love reading people's thoughts and seeing all the alerts. I wish I had the time to update more since writing this is fun, oh well. Also, Mr. Hanson, the bookstore owner, is a product of my imagination since Haven writers are stingy with the backstories.-

Waking up in an unfamiliar place was something that Audrey had grown used to over the years. It wasn't unusual for her to open her eyes after a few hours of sleep and look around a room in confusion, trying to place where she was exactly and how she had gotten there. Between her childhood, which consisted of numerous foster and group homes, and the traveling required for her job with the FBI, she hadn't ever really found a place that felt like home. It was hard for her to admit but she was really glad that she would be staying in Haven for awhile. Maybe it was the possible connection to the woman who might be her mother or all of the weird phenomenon she was investigating that got her blood pumping, but Haven, Maine, was one of the few places where she felt like she belonged. While she wasn't sure what home felt like since she'd never really had one, she knew that the comfort she felt here was a step in that direction.

Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she lifted her arms and pointed her toes in a full body stretch only to groan as pain flared up in certain spots, mainly her stitched up arm and the right side of her body where she had landed after jumping out of a window the night before. Carefully dropping her arms, she looked around an unfamiliar bedroom. Judging from the lack of knickknacks and the dark furniture and bedding, it had to be a man's bedroom. Nathan's bedroom to be exact. She recognized the smell of his soap surrounding her and a small pile of his clothing which had been left carelessly on the floor.

Glancing at the digital alarm clock on the small bedside table next to her, she saw that it was late in the afternoon. She could also hear sounds of a T.V. with the volume turned down and the crinkling of paper meaning that Nathan was probably in his living room doing paperwork instead of going to the office as she had insisted that they both do earlier when they had arrived at Nathan's house. In fact, they had gotten into an argument over when she would be returning to work which led to another argument over who would be sleeping where. Audrey had insisted that she take the couch and Nathan could keep his bed while Nathan told her that she would be taking the bed and he would be sleeping on the couch. The argument had lasted through Nathan changing the sheets on the bed she had declared she would not be using, her unpacking the stuff she had purchased in town into drawers he had cleared in his bathroom and practically empty hall closet, and her taking a couple of pain pills and flopping down on the couch she intended on claiming as her own. Stretching out, she had smiled in victory, knowing that once asleep, Nathan would not wake her. If she could show him that she was fine on the couch for a nap then she would be fine sleeping there through the night. She had not anticipated him waiting until she was dead to the world before moving her to the bed. That sneaky bastard.

Audrey carefully rolled out of bed, keeping her injured arm tucked against her chest, and quietly made her way to the small bathroom located on the right side of the narrow hallway between the bedroom and living room. Ducking into the room and shutting the door before Nathan would have the chance to get up and check on her, she mechanically looked at herself in the mirror which caused her to freeze. She looked horrible. Her face was pale and there were dark circles under puffy blue eyes, her hair looked like she hadn't washed or brushed it in a week and there were ugly bruises and scratches everywhere that wasn't covered by the t-shirt and athletic pants she had put on before eating breakfast. Her throat still felt scratchy and her head ached from all the smoke she had ingested.

"Audrey, you okay?" Nathan yelled through the closed door after softly knocking.

"I'm fine, just going to jump in the shower," she replied, checking to make sure the extra towels he'd drug out of the same small closet she had put her few belongings in were still sitting on counter near the sink.

"All right, the Chief's going to be stopping by in a little while to get your statement about the fire and then we'll talk about dinner."

"Sounds fine," Audrey said, waiting until she heard his footsteps walk away from the door.

Slowly undressing so that she wouldn't hurt herself, knowing a sudden yell or groan would cause Nathan to rush back to the door in concern, she stepped into a surprisingly clean shower and ran the water as hot as she could stand it. That was the thing she had noticed about Nathan's home. While there were spots of disorder and clutter here and there, like clothes on the bedroom floor, some dishes in the sink, papers and books littered across the kitchen table and coffee table in the living room, it was very clean otherwise. No dust, vacuumed floors and spotless sinks, counters and bathroom.

The water felt incredible. Audrey hoped that Nathan had a decent water heater because she planned on staying in the shower for as long as she could. Keeping her bad arm away from the spray, she shampooed with her other hand and thought back to the previous night.

She had gone to the only bookstore Haven had after getting off of work. It had a shockingly large selection so she had picked out an armload of books while speaking to the owner. He was an older gentleman who was pleased to have another avid reader moving into the community. Reading was a popular past time in this town, where the weather could keep people in doors without electricity for long periods of time, according to Mr. Hanson. He had boasted that what he didn't have in stock, he could order for her at a fair price if she wanted. He noted that while she liked many subjects she seemed to have picked out a lot of books over the supernatural.

"You've come to the right place, young lady," he's said, giving her a wink while he rang her up. "Haven is a very mysterious place to live."

Now, she would never get the chance to read those books. Well, she could buy others to replace them but not those same exact books. She felt her eyes start to pool with tears when she thought of how all her books were gone now. She shook her head before sticking it back under the water to rinse out the shampoo before it dripped into her eyes. She was being stupid, they were just books. But that was what was so hard about being a foster kid. You could only drag around so many possessions from place to place so Audrey always had to leave most of her books behind whenever it was time to leave. After a while, she would just go to the local library instead of wasting money on buying books, but borrowing wasn't the same as owning a book. She knew it was strange but it felt good to know that once she read a book she could either keep it and read it again later or give it away, donating it to a library if she didn't like it. Sure, it was all about her having control over something as an adult that she didn't have control over as a child, but it was such a harmless eccentricity to have. Now, out of everything that had happened, it was the one thing that was making her cry.

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The Chief was waiting for Audrey in the living room by the time she was done showering and getting dressed. As she studied her reflection in the bathroom mirror while brushing the snarls out of her blond hair, she noted that while she felt better, she didn't really look better. She sure as hell smelled better, though, so that would have to do.

"Audrey," the Chief greeted. "You look like death warmed over. I hope Nathan's not planning on making you sleep on the couch."

Nathan, sitting in a recliner on the right side of the couch that she and the Chief occupied, rolled his eyes but said nothing. Audrey noticed that Nathan didn't really argue or even use a rude tone when speaking to his father. He usually just ignored him or treated him like a stranger that he had to tolerate because he was his boss.

"Of course not, Chief. Nathan is very hospitable," she said. "Whether I like it or not."

At this, Nathan spoke up, "You're injured so that means you get the bed. The end."

"For now," she said, narrowing her eyes at him before turning back towards the Chief with a large smile plastered on her face.

The Chief looked back and forth between the two of them, forehead wrinkled in confusion. Then, he seemed to come to some kind of conclusion that he must have found very entertaining because he suddenly gave both of them a big grin.

"Well, I don't want to take up the rest of your evening so Audrey, let's get started," the Chief said, pulling a tape recorder out of his coat pocket. He laid it on the coffee table and pushed the record button, then asked her to go over the evening of the fire.

Audrey talked about going to the bookstore after work, not thinking about how that had upset her only a few minutes earlier, before going home. She explained that once she got back to her apartment, she made herself dinner, ate in front of the T.V. and got ready for bed. She stayed up for awhile reading, and then turned in for the night.

"The smoke alarm woke me up. Smoke was everywhere and I couldn't breathe very well. I got out of bed and went to the door but it felt warm so I didn't open it. I ran to the window, unlocked it and tried to get it open but it wouldn't budge. I used a lamp to break the window and climbed out until I was sitting on the window sill which is how I cut my arm; I didn't get all of the glass cleared out. I noticed the bushes underneath me and made sure to jump so that was where I would land. Some of the firefighters saw me jump and helped me to the ambulance which was where they checked my injuries. Then Nathan showed up and you know the rest," she said.

The Chief nodded, taking notes as she spoke. "No strange noises or anything out of the ordinary?"

"Nope."

"That's fine for now, we'll need a more detailed account later but that can wait. We're still waiting on the fire inspector to give us his findings," the Chief said, sliding a small, thin notebook back into his pocket along with the tape recorder he'd turned off.

"You think the fire was deliberate?" Nathan asked, which was the same question Audrey had on her mind.

"Could be but who knows, could have been bad wiring or someone's kid playing with matches," the Chief said, standing up and giving Audrey a little pat on the shoulder. "You need anything or if my boy gets to be too big a pain in the ass for you, just give me a call."

Nathan watched, surprised as his father nodded at him and then left the house without another word.

"So, are you planning on explaining to me how I fell asleep on the couch and then woke up in your bed," Audrey asked, eyebrow raised as she prepared for round two of their couch versus bed argument which she was determined to win.


	5. Chapter 5

I don't really know much about fires or fire investigations so I'm just kind of pulling this chapter out of my ass. Again, thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. I appreciate the comments, praise, criticism and suggestions given so keep them coming.-

CAUSE OF FIRE: UNKNOWN AT THIS POINT OF THE INVESTIGATION.

Nathan had been staring at that sentence for the better part of an hour. He'd read through the fire inspector's entire report which contained more questions than answers. After hours spent sifting through wreckage and going over statements provided by witnesses and the tenants in Audrey's building, the inspector basically deduced that they were no closer in figuring out how the fire had started then they were the night Nathan found Audrey leaning against the side of an ambulance, glassy-eyed and wrapped in a blanket while she watched all of her possessions go up in flames.

Leaning back against his couch, papers still clutched in his hands, Nathan went through the report one more time before calling it a night. According to the regional fire inspector, a man named Kruger, the point of origin for the fire was the first floor hallway but the exact spot was difficult to pinpoint which was unusual. The wiring was fine and the fire had not been started by any appliances or electronics in the vicinity. There was no starting device or accelerate found to suggest arson but Kruger told him over the phone that he had never seen an accidental fire that looked like that.

"It's the strangest damn scene I've seen in over 20 years," Kruger had said. "I couldn't find a hint of how that fire actually started and the area of origin was several feet wide."

"What exactly does that mean?" Nathan had asked.

"Son, the only explanation I can give you is that someone used something we've never seen or heard of to start that fire or a character from one of my grandkid's comic books came to life and threw a fire ball into the hallway," he'd said with a snort. "There was nothing left of whatever started that fire and that's not very common."

"Then again, you folks in Haven always have weird shit going on," Kruger said.

Nathan sighed and tossed the thick bundle of papers onto the coffee table while rubbing his eyes. Audrey had long ago disappeared into his bedroom and he hadn't heard a peep out of her since. A couple of days had passed since the fire and she was already back to work although she was restricted to desk duty for a couple more days. He was glad the Chief had issued that particular order since it kept Audrey from ripping his head off. Between the rainy weather, people treating her like "an injured baby bird" (her words), and always being told no whenever she wanted to do anything by Nathan, the Chief, or her doctor, he knew that Audrey was about ready to start climbing the walls. She liked keeping busy and doing her job, making any kind of rest difficult. Nathan had seriously thought about lacing her coffee with some of her pain pills, since those seemed to knock her out for a couple of hours, whenever her short temper caused his temper to shorten in response but was keeping that option open for emergency purposes, like if she decided to take a swing at him or something.

The rest of the time, when she was normal, sharing a living space with Audrey was similar to sharing an office space with her. At first it was kind of awkward and conversation a bit strained, but once they both relaxed it seemed to work out well. She would quietly sit and read while curled up on the couch, every now and then making a sarcastic remark about whatever he watched on the T.V. while nursing his evening beer. He would cook dinner and she would lean against the kitchen counter, chatting with him while he worked before she started setting the kitchen table. Afterwards, Nathan would wash the dishes while Audrey dried them and put them away. He wondered if this was what marriage was like, minus the sex. His parents' marriage wasn't quite this comfortable as far as he could remember but his father was always at work and Nathan was always the focus of his mother's attention. He could never really remember them fighting but he couldn't really remember them talking much to each other either.

"No matter how many times you read that, it will still say the same thing."

Nathan turned his head and looked at Audrey who was leaning against the wall of the hallway that opened up into the living room, staring at him with a smirk. It appeared as though she had commandeered some of his clothing and was dressed in one of his grey t-shirts and a pair of old plaid pajama pants he only wore on his days off when he would lounge around the house. Her short blond hair was a rumpled mess so he knew she had to have been tossing and turning for awhile.

"That's the problem, it doesn't say much of anything," he said.

Audrey stepped into the room and gingerly sat on the couch next to him, tucking her right leg underneath her. Picking up the papers he had just discarded, she flipped through them using her thumb like most people would flip through a magazine.

"No, it says that this fire had been set by using unknown means," Audrey said. "This just screams supernatural to me and when something supernatural happens in Haven, then that means that someone with a supernatural ability is behind it."

"Okay, but who?" Nathan asked. "And how did they do it?"

"That, partner, is why we get paid the big bucks. We're going to figure it out," she said, leaning over to put the papers back on the coffee table where he had dropped them earlier. She then leaned back against the couch and turned her body towards him, shifting into a more comfortable position.

"Thanks again for putting up with me and I'm sorry for being kind of bitchy recently," she said, "I don't really respond well to a lot of coddling."

He smiled as she gave him an apologetic look then reached over, giving her knee cap a quick squeeze.

"It's no big deal, hell I'm grumpy all the time and you put up with me just fine," Nathan said. "Besides, when you yelled at the Chief earlier today about him sticking you on desk duty I thought he was going to choke on his bologna sandwich. That was definitely worth you giving me the stink eye every now and then."

Audrey laughed and moved closer to him, laying her head against the back of the couch cushion near his left ear.

"I'll have to remember that. Next time you get grouchy I'll start a fight with the Chief or maybe play a practical joke on him, like sticking a whoopee cushion on his seat."

"The Chief would definitely not see that one coming," Nathan said, turning so that he could look at her.

It wasn't until he felt her breath brush across his face that he realized how close they were sitting. She still smelt like his toothpaste and he wondered how warm her breath would feel against him. He'd been wondering a lot of things like that lately. He blamed the fact that he was sharing a small living space with a female, smelling her shampoo and perfume everywhere and being in almost constant contact with a shapely blond who didn't follow him around like a puppy dog as some of the other females in Haven did, which annoyed him to no end. These were the same women who thought he was a freak when they had gone through school together and now that he had grown into the gangly limbs and had a good, steady job, he was suddenly a catch. Well, no thanks.

Audrey finally must have noticed how close her mouth had gotten to his and how he was staring at that mouth in fascination because her cheeks turned a soft pink and she jerked her whole body back, almost falling off the couch.

"Um, I'm going to try to go to sleep now," she said, easing herself away from the couch and slowly backing up towards the hallway, which lead to the bedroom. She continued to face him as she retreated, almost like she was on the job and didn't want to turn her back on a possible perp who might be armed.

"I took some pills a few minutes ago so I should be out like a light, soon," she said, her voice betraying the fact that she was nervous as it wavered a little.

Once she reached the hall, she abruptly turned and hurried into the bedroom, shutting the door all the way behind her. Usually, she kept it open a crack while she slept, not liking the feeling of being shut in. Nathan couldn't help but smile, glad to see he wasn't the only one a little shaken by what had just happened, and didn't happen. He had a feeling that things were really going to start to get interesting.


	6. Chapter 6

It's really late and I really want to go to bed, but I felt the need to write this right now so hopefully it makes sense. Thanks for reading and for all of the reviews, you guys rock! So tired but happy tomorrow is Friday and am looking forward to two full days of freedom from work and not having to deal with my dumb boss. Yippee!-

She had almost kissed Nathan Wournos.

Audrey took a deep breath and exhaled slowly from her nose as she curbed the urge to smack her forehead repeatedly against the ancient oak desk that was covered with reports and other paperwork she was sifting through while trying to organize everything. The filing system at the Haven Police Department was pathetic, to say the least, so Audrey decided that she would use her enforced desk time to re-organize and come up with an easier way to find things that did not include poking through rusty filing cabinets and large shoe boxes which were piled up in a storage closet near the break room. Currently, the Chief and Nathan were the only two employees who could find whatever paperwork anyone was looking for in under an hour. One of the other officers had spent three days looking for a witness statement a few months ago when both Nathan and the Chief were out with the flu and still complained about it to anyone who listened. Looking at the mountain of papers spread out around her half of the office, Audrey now understood why no one else ever tried to undertake this large and rather impossible task.

The only advantages to her new project were that it kept her occupied and busy and it kept Nathan on his side of the office ever since he came back from responding to his first call of the day. If she wasn't so nervous she'd find his aversion to tall stacks of paper amusing.

He'd taken one look at all the papers and asked, "What the hell are you doing, Parker."

"Spring cleaning," she replied.

Nathan had just stared at her for a moment then nodded to himself before going to his desk and burying himself in his own paperwork, a pile much smaller then the stacks of paper on and around her desk.

He hadn't mentioned anything about the previous night, not the non-kiss or even their discussion over the fire. Audrey wasn't sure what his silence meant, exactly. Maybe he hadn't noticed that strange little moment when their lips almost touched and they had just looked at each other as time froze for those brief couple of seconds. Guys were sometimes oblivious to stuff like that and Nathan had that emotional wall that was covered in barbwire, clearly marked DO NOT ENTER. Audrey rolled her eyes at herself. Of course he had noticed. He was there and it was completely obvious what was about to happen. Her actions after the fact were pretty obvious as well as she ran from him like one would a rabid animal. _Nice going, Slick._

This was the reason why she never got involved with co-workers on this level. She felt like she turned her into an insecure high school girl who was obsessed and overanalyzing everything her crush did and said. She was a grown woman. She wasn't supposed to get crushes anymore. However, she recognized the way her stomach flip-flopped when Nathan was around and the way she was always hyper aware of him whenever he was in the vicinity. Crap. She was a grown ass woman with a crush on her partner. Could this get anymore awkward?

"Hey there, Agent-Officer Parker," a voice greeted her from the office doorway.

_Yup, about to get more awkward. Ask and ye shall receive, Parker._

"Duke," Audrey said, looking up at the shaggy-haired man whose smile always turned into a leer during their exchanges. "What are you doing here?"

"I just got back from my trip and heard about your fire," Duke said, strolling into the room to stand near her desk.

He gave Nathan his cat ate the canary grin before turning is attention back to Audrey, apparently ignoring the other man's glare boring into his back. Audrey couldn't help but glance back and forth between the two men. Funny how much smaller a room could get once you put these two in it together.

"Well, everyone got out all right so no big deal," Audrey said.

Duke gently moved some of her papers over to make room for him to perch on the edge of her desk, "I heard you took a tumble out of a second floor window and had to get stitches."

"Actually, I jumped out the window and it's not the first time I've had stitches," Audrey said, eyebrows furrowed as she wondered what he was really doing here.

"I'm just glad you're still kicking. It'd be a shame if something happened to the only cop I've ever liked," Duke said, leaning over to cover one of her hands that were placed palm down on her desk with his own rough and tanned hand.

Audrey felt as though all the air had been sucked out of the room and she could literally feel the anger pouring out of Nathan in waves. He was extremely pissed and she knew that while he hated Duke, he hated Duke even more when he'd flirt with her. Nathan had already given her the speech about how Duke was a con-man and only cared about himself; that he used others and once he'd gotten what he needed, he would toss them away like garbage. She knew that Nathan was probably right but she was still drawn to the other man. Maybe it was because he'd saved her life, but she could swear that she saw something deeper in his eyes, kindness and a desire to be a better person. Whatever it was, she would never completely write Duke off until he did something bad to her personally.

"It would be a shame if there was one less person in this town to arrest you when you need it," Audrey said, sliding her hand out from under his then giving him a playful slap on the arm.

"That would be a shame indeed," Duke said, grinning widely as he glanced at the clock behind her attached to the wall. "I see that it's almost lunch time. Care to join me for a sandwich at the diner."

_Wow. If looks could kill then I'd defiantly have to arrest Nathan for homicide right now._

Audrey and Nathan always had lunch together, even if it meant grabbing a quick bite out of the office vending machine or getting fast food and eating it in the truck. Nathan kept condiments in the glove compartment for such an occasion. While she was tempted to take Duke up on his offer just to get away from the awkwardness she was feeling towards Nathan at the moment and engage in a little harmless flirting, she knew that accepting would be like a slap in the face to her partner. She had learned quickly that if she wanted to keep Nathan's trust, then she could never choose Duke over him. Duke was a huge sore spot to Nathan so she had to tread carefully.

"I'll have to decline your kind offer," Audrey said, looking over at Nathan and smiling. "I have already been promised pancakes."

She was rewarded when Nathan smiled back and seemed to relax back into his chair, his body previously ram rod straight. He was probably ready to jump over his desk and take down Duke if he made a wrong move. Duke quirked an eyebrow at her and opened his mouth to argue then quickly shut it as he glanced between Audrey and Nathan.

"Rain check?" he said, turning around before she could answer. "I'll be seeing you later, Audrey. Later, Tin Man."

Audrey watched Duke walk away before turning her attention back to her partner, "I'm serious about the pancakes. Let's go, I'm starving."


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry guys but this might be my only update this week. I've been having the work week from hell and will be out of town this weekend for a wedding so there really isn't much time to work on my fanfic. I work at a newspaper and my editor's on vacation so my boss is stepping in only he can't do half of the stuff that needs to be done meaning that it becomes my responsibility as well as doing my regular gig. Needless to say, I'm exhausted and starving by the time I get home (I've been working through my lunch hour and eating junk food at my desk) and in no mood to sit at a computer for another couple of hours, no matter how much I love Nathan and Audrey. Anyway, thanks for letting me vent and I hope you all have a better week then me. Please review!-

There was just something about a fresh stack of pancakes covered in thick maple syrup that made everything in life a little bit better. At least, that was Nathan's philosophy. Audrey just chuckled when he told her this and took a long drink from the glass of milk she always ordered whenever they stopped at the diner for pancakes.

He knew he was right. Ever since their meal was brought out to them, all the awkward tension between the pair had evaporated and they ate in companionable silence, only interrupting it when someone interesting walked into the establishment and Audrey asked about them. She would glance at the door, partially turned since she was sitting at a table with her back to the front of the building, and raise an eyebrow in curiosity. Nathan would answer her unasked questions and tell her everything he knew about that person, especially their criminal history if they had one. Sometimes his explanations could get quite lengthy since he had been born in Haven and lived there all his life, with the exception of the years he spent away at college. He seemed to have vast amounts of information on everyone. Audrey would listen and throw in sarcastic and mocking comments whenever she felt it was needed and once finished, they would both be silent again, enjoying their pancakes and waiting for the next customer to come in.

Once he finished his meal, Nathan pushed away his plate and stared unseeingly over Audrey's shoulder. Audrey had already eaten all of her pancakes and was playing with her empty milk glass, sliding it around in front of her and making invisible designs on the table with the bottom of the glass.

"We're missing something," Nathan said, stacking his plate onto her empty one and laying his silver ware on top so that the waitress would have an easier time bussing their table.

"The check?" Audrey asked, wrinkling her nose at him in confusion. "We just finished eating; give Darlene a minute to get back over here."

Nathan shook his head and grinned, "No. I mean the fire. We're missing something."

"Well, yeah. Like how it was started and who's responsible," Audrey said, letting go of the glass and placing her hands on her lap. "This is not news."

"I know but I was just thinking that, with our other weird cases, there's always some sort of build up to the main event. Warning signs before the real manifestation started. A family history of weird occurrences or unexplained things in the past," Nathan said, looking intently out the window again in thought.

There was something there, niggling at the edge of his brain. It was something important that he should be remembering but for some reason, could not; something important that he was overlooking. He focused his gaze back to Audrey's face to find her studying him, forehead furrowed in deep thought.

"We've already gone through past reports and incidents of fires in Haven over the last few years," Audrey said. "No one saw or heard anything out of the ordinary. Where else do we look?"

Nathan sighed, "I'm not sure. I just know we're missing something that we should have found already."

"Maybe we should look back further at reports and past fire investigations," Audrey said, shrugging. "Like back when the Troubles first started."

"We don't have all the paperwork from then. Between the Colorado Kid investigation and all of the other crazy things going on at the time, paperwork wasn't really a top priority," Nathan said.

"Good point, but it might lead us to something," Audrey replied. "Its better then doing nothing, right?"

"Right," Nathan agreed and smiled as Darlene walked over and laid their check face down in the middle of the table.

Once she left Audrey made a quick grab for the slip of paper but Nathan beat her to it and snatched it up, grinning in victory.

"You paid last time," Audrey complained.

Nathan shifted so that he could slide his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans, "So?"

"We're supposed to take turns," she said, watching his hand that had a firm grip on their check while he dug a few bills out of his worn leather wallet. He knew that if he weakened his hold she would make a grab for the paper.

"Says who," he said. "Besides, once you find a new place you're going to have to shell out quite a bit of money for new furniture and stuff. Just let me pay for the damn pancakes."

"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes but the sides of her mouth lifted in a slight smile. "But I'm paying the next time we eat out."

"Noted," he said but his tone clearly indicated that she would probably not have that option.

Huffing in fake annoyance, Audrey slowly stood and grabbed her coat from the back of her chair and Nathan placed his money on the table top and stood up as well, jacket already on since he hadn't bothered taking it off while they ate. Smiling and giving their waitress a nod, Nathan waited for Audrey to walk by him and followed her out the diner.

"I bet I already have some of the reports we're going to need to look at in the office already," Audrey said, her tone indicating that she was already getting excited about their new avenue of investigation.

Nathan didn't think that he'd ever met anyone more excited about being in law enforcement then Audrey. She was one of the few people who really loved her job, practically lived and breathed it. Nathan couldn't really say the same about himself. He was good at it and it made him feel useful so he liked being a cop. It was just something he grew up around and no one was surprised when he chose that as his profession, not even his father.

"I think you have every piece of paper in the station that doesn't pertain to a current case in our office," Nathan said, looking down at her as they walked side by side back to the station. "What is with the spring cleaning?"

He, of course, knew the reason behind her recent obsession with organization. It was perfectly normal that she felt awkward over last night, he had too but he had gotten over it by the time he poured his second cup of coffee that morning. He couldn't explain it, but he just had a feeling that things were going to work out well between them no matter what happened. The visit from Duke that morning had soothed a few of his fears regarding the one rival he had over Audrey and while he knew that Duke would come sniffing around again, he wasn't worried. Alright, so he was a little worried but not as worried as he had been. He thought he should be more worried over why he wasn't freaking out over the possibility of starting a romantic relationship with his partner and best friend. Then again, this was Haven and freaking out over stuff never really go you anywhere.

"Just bored, I can't wait until your dad clears me for field work," Audrey said, avoiding a real answer. "Besides, your filing system is atrocious. No one but you and the Chief can ever find anything."

"I know," he answered. "There is a method to the madness, though."

"Well, here on planet Earth we use numbers, letters, hell, even colors to organize stacks of paperwork," Audrey said. "It would stop people from bugging you all the time to help them find things."

Nathan nodded in agreement, "Fine, but if you lose anything or can't find a report when the Chief asks for it, you'll never hear the end of it."

"No problem, I'll just tell him the papers he needed must be in the same place as the case files over the Colorado Kid murder."


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry about waiting so long to update but I just didn't know where to go next with this chapter until today. Thanks again for all the reviews and those who have put me on alert and their favorites list, you all are awesome. Please keep reviewing and letting me know what you think. I hope this chapter was worth the wait.-

Audrey hadn't realized how late it had gotten until the sound of Nathan softly snoring across the room finally registered in her brain. Looking up from the mountain of papers she was swiftly and efficiently reading through then organizing into piles according to how she later planned to put them away, she couldn't help but smile at her partner who was currently fast asleep at his desk. Glancing out through the windows which faced the bullpen of the Haven Police Department, she saw that all of the daytime crew had already gone for the evening and only the handful of people who worked nights were quietly sitting at desks doing paper work and taking the few phone calls they received at night.

Nathan was still sitting at his desk, which was also covered with a jumble of papers, when he had fallen asleep. He was slumped back into his chair, head lolling against the hard wooden back with his face turned up towards the ceiling, mouth open and arms dangling down towards the floor. He looked ridiculous and adorable. Audrey couldn't help but melt a little bit at the sight but then quickly shook her head in denial at having those kinds of thoughts. Nope, her partner was not cute and he did not make her insides melt like butter. No way.

Standing, Audrey stretched the kinks out of her lower back and neck. She looked up at the clock and noticed that it was 8 p.m., well past the time they should have already left for the day when they weren't actively on a case. Her stomach growled reminding her that Nathan would have already made supper and they would have eaten by now if they hadn't gotten caught up in trying to ferret out a suspect for the fire. Turning back towards her desk, she quickly moved all of the papers that were close to falling off the edge and piled them up on the middle of the covered surface. She gathered up her bag and jacket then put them on her chair, getting ready to leave.

Silently walking to Nathan's side of the office, she stopped once she reached the right side of his desk. Nathan had pushed his chair a few inches away from the desk at some point, probably so he could stretch out his long legs. He had stopped snoring once Audrey had gotten up and started moving around, but otherwise had not moved at all. She loudly cleared her throat, hoping he wasn't the kind of person who jumped when they woke up which might cause him to fall out of the chair and onto the floor. They really didn't need to make another trip to the hospital this week and a head injury was not a fun way to end a long workday.

"Nathan," Audrey said, using a normal tone of voice when the throat clearing had no affect on him. He still didn't move.

"Nathan," she called out louder, wondering how he could easily wake up that time she brought in the bouquet of flowers and he had smelled them, yet was still dead to the world when she was practically yelling in his face.

"Nath…" she tried again, moving closer and bending over him a little, but before she could finish saying his name his hands shot out and grabbed her upper arms, tugging her down onto his lap.

To say she was surprised would be an understatement as she landed none too gently across his legs. She had also let out a soft yelp when she was grabbed and could only stare into Nathan's face in shock. Nathan's normally stoic expression had changed into a small and somewhat smug grin, almost appearing as through he had won an argument she never remembered them having, and his blue grey eyes were only halfway open. This was a look she had seen on Duke's face numerous times but to see it on Nathan's made it even more intense and…sexy.

_Crap, I'm in serious trouble._

She opened her mouth in order to ask him just what the hell he thought he was doing, but before she could form any words he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her so that she against his chest. Then his mouth was on hers.

The kiss was soft at first, as was his embrace, giving her plenty of opportunities to tear herself away from him if she wanted. Audrey didn't even give it a second thought before she slid her hands from the grip she'd had on the front of his shirt when she'd landed on his lap to the back of his neck, urging him to stay where he was while pressing herself even closer to him. Her non-verbal acceptance seemed to open a floodgate because the kiss quickly progressed from a gentle first kiss to an open mouthed, tongue clashing free for all which usually was a prelude to hot and steamy sex in Audrey's somewhat limited experience. She hadn't had many sex partners and even fewer actual relationships, but she liked sex and wasn't afraid to get "down and dirty" with a guy when the opportunity arose.

She knew from Nathan's avoidance of the opposite sex, he'd probably had less experience than her with both the emotional and physicals aspects of relationships. However, from the way his hands were roaming underneath her now untucked shirt and were exploring her back and his mouth, which had detached from her lips and was now gliding across her neck and scraping spots of her sensitive skin with his teeth, what he lacked in the quantity of his experience he made up for in quality. Shivering, Audrey held on to the neck of Nathan's shirt, fisting the fabric with one hand, and ran her fingers from the nape of his neck up into the longer portion of his thick, dark hair, lightly scratching his scalp which caused a groan to escape him. She knew he could feel things but he had told her once that he thought his sense of touch was much duller then the rest of his senses. He knew the difference between something that was soft versus something that was hard and could even feel an object and guess correctly what it was without seeing it, but he knew he didn't have the same level of sensation as others did. His response to her, though, made her wonder if he wasn't wrong about that.

"Well, hot damn," came a voice from the doorway of their office. "About goddamned time you made your move, Kid, but you do realize that the entire office can see you and are gawking at you two like a bunch of nosy old women."

The Chief's voice had a similar affect as dumping a large bucket of cold water would have had on the pair as they jumped apart, the back of Nathan's chair hitting the wall with him still in it and Audrey almost tripping over her own feet in her haste to stand up and move away from Nathan.

"Never mind, half this town thinks you're sleeping together anyway," the Chief commented, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.

"What?" Audrey asked tugging nervously on the bottom of her shirt to make sure it was all the way down and covering her the way it should.

"It's a small town, Parker, and any woman who spends as much time with my son-the- monk as you do has got to be sleeping with him, according to the gossips around here," the Chief said, grinning. "Also, the fact that you two are living together right now has not gone unnoticed."

"But that's just because of the fire," Audrey argued, crossing her arms defensively across her chest trying to ignore how hot her cheeks felt. _God, this was so embarrassing._

The Chief shrugged in response, "People think that you used that as an excuse to shack up together. It doesn't matter, in Haven everyone likes to get into everyone else's business. Around here, co-workers date, sleep with each other and get married all the time and it's not that big of a deal. We have a limited population and there are only a few places where folks can meet people."

"Enough of the sociology lesson, Dad." Nathan said quietly. "Did you want something?"

The Chief smiled at his son and took a folded up paper out of his pocket, tossing it onto the paper covered desk.

"Found this while we were moving one of the old filing cabinets out of the dispatch area and into the storage closet. By the way, Girl, when are you going to be done with this annoying cleaning project of yours?"

Audrey sighed and rolled her eyes, "When you clear me for field work, Old Man."

Chuckling, the Chief shook his head at her, "As soon as you finish cleaning up your mess consider yourself cleared."

"Really?" Audrey asked, perking up and smiling, forgetting to be embarrassed in front of her boss.

"How the hell did you miss this earlier," Nathan's voice interrupted Audrey's mental joy at finally getting out of the office.

"Dispatch always puts the overnight and morning reports on top of the filing cabinet in my in-box for me to pickup when I come in," the Chief said. "Report must have fallen out and in between the cabinet and wall. The reporting party didn't make a follow-up call when no one showed up to investigate so we remained clueless."

"What is it?" Audrey asked, turning and looking at Nathan for the first time since the Chief had interrupted them.

Nathan was intently studying the paper he had unfolded but looked up to meet her gaze when she spoke.

"A suspect."


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for the awesome responses to the last chapter everyone! Physical love scenes are always the hardest thing to write, in my opinion, so thanks for the compliments. I also realize initiating anything romantic is a little out of character for Nathan but that's how I roll. Guess I got tired of watching the writers flounder around with this show and his character. Honestly, I was about to give up on watching the show due to the last couple of episodes that I was not very impressed with, then tonight with the scene where Audrey kisses Nathan on the cheek and he feels it. Love the "holy shit" look he had on his face. I'm totally inspired again. Thank you Haven writers! Also, thinking about writing a sex scene at some point and not sure how graphic it will be so I might have to change the rating on this story, but nothing is set in stone yet. Just giving you guys a heads up.-

Nathan hadn't meant to let things get so out of hand when he had woken up from his little nap earlier to find Audrey hovering over him, calling his name while trying to wake him up. He'd only intended to kiss her a little bit, finishing what they had almost started the night before on his living room couch. He'd been thinking about it ever since they had gotten back from lunch, part of his mind on the reports and paperwork in front of him while the other part ran through that moment over and over again. Then he started wondering what would have happened if he'd just leaned over a little more and kissed her or if she had just taken the plunge and kissed him. At least that would have given them something to really feel awkward about, a real kiss instead of an almost kiss (or whatever you wanted to call it).

The more Nathan thought about it, the more it bothered him. He should have kissed her instead of hesitating. Audrey had paused for a moment before jumping away from him and the look on her face suggested that if he had kissed her, she would have probably kissed him back. God was he stupid.

Then all of sudden there she was, right above him smelling like a mixture of maple syrup (she had accidently dripped some on the sleeve of her shirt at lunch), his laundry detergent, and her light perfume consisting of the scent of plums and nectarines. Those scents had been floating around their office all day and had invaded his thoughts so who could blame him for finally snapping. Besides, he was only half awake when he playfully pulled her down onto his lap and hadn't really thought things through to what would happen after. The idea that his father would interrupt them making out had never occurred to Nathan but it didn't really surprise him either. The Chief always did have incredible timing.

Now, all three of them were standing over Nathan's desk, staring at a single piece of paper which might finally provide them with real answers and bring some closure regarding the fire that destroyed Audrey's apartment and all her personal belongings. Looking over at Audrey who was standing next to him, Nathan noticed that while the bright red blush that had covered her cheeks a few minutes ago was gone, now her chin and the skin surrounding her mouth looked a little irritated and was a light pink color. Whisker burn. The lust that had been coursing through him which his father and doused when he had announced his presence earlier came back with a vengeance. Unfortunately, he couldn't see the side of her neck that he had been getting acquainted with and he knew that leaning over Audrey to get a look to see if he had marked her there would draw a lot of attention to where his interest had gone instead of where it should be. _Right. Back to the case._

"Annabelle Gaynes," Audrey read out loud, sliding the paper closer but leaving it on the desk so Nathan could still see it. "Reported missing two days before the fire. Currently a resident of Haven's local psychiatric hospital, the Freddie."

"Apparently she was allowed to leave on a weekend pass to stay with relatives in the area," the Chief broke in, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "But she never showed up to meet them and has been missing ever since."

"So what, is she a fire bug or something?" Audrey asked, eyebrow lifted as she looked up from the desk and watched the Chief. "She couldn't have had a serious condition if they let her have weekend passes like she was at summer camp."

"From what I remember, she had some kind of nervous condition," Nathan said. "Nothing violent."

He remembered a small, dark haired girl who would scurry through the hallways at school, like a scared little mouse. Whenever she spoke, which was hardly ever, her voice would barely be above a whisper and she always had her head down so her hair could act as some sort of shield between her face and the world. Annabelle Gaynes was utterly forgettable and the only reason why he remembered her at all was because she was weird and he was weird. It was hard for him not to notice someone so obviously different but to every other student there, she might as well have evaporated into the walls. She did have some trouble with a couple of older girls bullying her at one point but nothing serious ever came out of that, as far as he knew.

"You knew her?" Audrey asked, turning her head and meeting his eyes before quickly looking away. She was clearly still a little bit embarrassed.

"Yeah. She was really quiet and kept to herself. Jumpy, scared of everything. One time I remember a book fell off of someone's desk during class and landed on the floor. The sound was loud and everyone jumped," Nathan said, folding his arms across his chest. "Annabelle jumped clear out of her chair, started crying and ran out of the room."

"So what does she have to do with the fire?" Audrey asked, looking down again to study the paper which only had the barest of information from a single missing persons phone call.

"Don't know but I imagine you kids will be visiting the Freddie first thing in the morning," the Chief said.

Sighing loudly, the Chief sauntered over to the closed office door and paused before opening it, "I don't think I need to tell you two that you should leave the hanky panky stuff out of the office. However, what you do in the privacy of your own home, well, that's your business."

Nathan groaned and shut his eyes in exasperation. Leave it to his father to make an uncomfortable situation even worse.

"Thanks, and no, you didn't need to say anything. Night," Nathan replied.

The Chief, with his back still turned away from them, nodded and let himself out, leaving the door to the office open. Glancing out into the bullpen, Nathan noted that everyone seemed to be busy working at their desks on paperwork but were keeping an ear on their office since no one was on the phone or chit chatting with each other and everyone was sitting so that he and Audrey were in their peripherals. He had no doubt that news of their little make out session would be all over town by the next morning.

Looking at Audrey, who was still standing beside him and staring at the paper she must have had memorized by now, Nathan wondered what the hell he should do. He knew he needed to say something but didn't know what. He wasn't a person who talked about his feelings or knew how to put people at ease in these kinds of situations. Hell, everyone knew he had no game when it came to women.

"So, um, ready to go home. I mean, to your house," Audrey asked, nervously shifting from one foot to another.

"Yeah," Nathan said, pulling his chair back from the wall and up to his desk. He then grabbed his jacket which was hanging off the back of the chair and waited while Audrey scooped up her belongings which she had left on her own desk chair. Silently, he followed her as they left their office, shutting and locking the door behind him. No one met their eyes as they walked through the bull pen.

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"I was thinking of making spaghetti for dinner," Nathan said.

They were the first words spoken during a long and quiet ride from the station to his house, which they were only a few blocks from. _Thank God._

"Works for me, I'm starving," Audrey said, sounding like her usual self.

Nathan cautiously took a peek at her, not wanting her to catch him. He didn't want her to start getting nervous again. He jumped a little when he saw her staring right back at him, her eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed in a way he recognized from when she was grilling an uncooperative suspect.

"Nathan, why in the hell did you kiss me back at the office?" Audrey asked. "I hope that's not, like, an automatic reaction to someone waking you up 'cause that could get a little awkward at times. And it would make you kind of slutty."

Nathan grinned at Audrey and parked his car in the driveway next to his house. He clicked off his headlights and switched off his ignition but stayed sitting in the driver's seat. He kept his attention on the windshield in front of him, not quite having the guts to talk to Audrey and look at her at the same time.

"I kissed you at the office because I was kicking myself for not kissing you last night," Nathan said. "Sorry if I embarrassed you in public, I should have waited until we could have had some privacy but I'm not sorry I kissed you."

"I'm not sorry either," Audrey said quietly.


	10. Chapter 10

Many thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing, especially those of you who reviewed multiple times. Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed and favorited "A New Sensation". Currently, I'm toying with the idea of continuing it but haven't come up with a solid idea for another chapter since I only intended it to be a one-shot. No promises but I will do my best to work on it. Again, reviews are love and I enjoy reading everyone's thoughts on the story and the show in general. We Nathan/Audrey shippers must spread our obsession!-

Nathan moved around his kitchen in a similar manner to how he went about investigating and solving crimes. He was unhurried but efficient, deliberate and methodical, and he could bring things together that otherwise would have made no sense if Audrey had been left to her own devices. Audrey couldn't help but wonder if that was what he would be like in bed and she studied him even more carefully before shaking her head at herself. _Down, girl._

Luckily Nathan seemed oblivious to Audrey's mental slideshow she titled 'Hot and Steamy Fantasy Sex with Fantasy Nathan' as he concentrated on putting a meal together. Even though their dinner consisted of a pot of boiled noodles with spaghetti sauce from a jar, it still tasted far better then anything she would have been able to come up with. The man sure did know his way around a spice rack.

Audrey, as usual, was loitering around the kitchen keeping her partner company while he calmly made them spaghetti with toasted cheese bread. Instead of taking her usual position of leaning against the counter near the kitchen sink which was located in the middle of the kitchen, Audrey sat perched on top of the counter near the stove. She was far enough away from the appliance so that she wouldn't accidently get burned but close enough to still invade Nathan's personal space which he was pretending to be annoyed with. However, the grin that kept appearing on his face gave him away and he would continually brush his sides against her knees as he walked back and forth from the stove to the sink or to the fridge.

"The spaghetti's almost done," Nathan said, the upper half of his body behind the fridge door as he searched for butter to spread across the bread. "I'll just get the toast going and then we can eat."

"Smells great," Audrey replied as her stomach growled. "I'm starving."

Nathan's head popped up and he smiled at her before launching a small tub of butter in her direction. She cupped her hands and easily caught it, giving him a dirty look but in no way angry with him.

"You know, they invented the phrase 'Think Fast' for a reason," Audrey said, tossing the butter back at Nathan with a little more force then he had used after he had shut the refrigerator door.

"Just wanted to make sure you're reflexes are still in good shape," he said, catching the butter and walking back over to the stove. "Don't want you getting lazy and losing all that FBI training of yours."

As Nathan spoke, he brushed by her again but this time his empty right hand lightly ran across her upper thighs. Audrey sucked in a breath as her eyes widened at both the teasing insult and the quick but extremely sexual way Nathan had nonchalantly touched her. Once he passed her he set the butter down on the empty counter space between Audrey and the stove and took the lid off the pot of simmering noodles with tomato sauce, stirring it like he had all the time in the world. Then he turned his head and winked at her, a small cocky smile in place.

Audrey was a competitive person by nature and took that ridiculous little wink, which should have been of place on Nathan's face but instead was oddly endearing, as a challenge. A challenge over what, she couldn't really say, but it felt like Nathan currently had the upper hand and that would not be tolerated. As Nathan set the wooden spoon down on a small dish that sat on the stove top and dropped the lid back onto the pot, Audrey grabbed the back of Nathan's shirt and pulled him back towards her, hard. He let out a soft grunt in protest and quickly turned around before he tripped over his own feet and fell backwards. Instead, he fell against Audrey whose face was a little above his own due to the height difference provided by the counter.

"I think you should worry about your own reflexes before trying to test mine," Audrey said, her voice lower and softer than usual as she delivered a phony innocent look. "I believe I just got the drop on you."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," he said.

Nathan's hands, which had braced themselves against the counter top on either side of Audrey as he had stopped himself from falling, latched onto the thighs he had barely touched just a few seconds before then slid up and grabbed onto her jean clad hips. Her knees were trapped against his body and the scarred wooden cabinets below the counter so he backed away a little and pulled her closer to the edge of the counter so that her legs rested against both sides of his hips. Her hands were kneading his biceps and she wiggled a little so that her breasts were lightly mashed against his chest.

Audrey had always been fascinated by how the men she had been with seemed to be made of hard muscle and steel compared to the softness of her own body. Nathan was no exception to that. He was tall and kind of on the thin side but she could feel sleek, taunt muscle under her hands and between her legs. The observation made her clench her fingers and her nails dug into the skin underneath the sleeves of Nathan's shirt. He, of course, didn't notice and instead moved his hands so that they cupped the spot where the bottom of her back met her ass.

"I think I now have the drop on you," Nathan muttered as he turned his face up to meet Audrey's mouth as she leaned down at the same time.

Tired of their verbal game, Audrey hungrily kissed Nathan and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He tasted like spaghetti sauce, spice and an undefined flavor that she associated as just him. Unlike their previous kiss, this one started out intense but then slowly eased to lingering pecks and whispered breath against cheeks and necks. Lost in their own little world, Audrey was abruptly pulled out of the moment once the smell of burning spaghetti hit her nose. From the way Nathan's expression went from lax and blissful to hard and irritated; she knew that they would not be dining on Italian tonight. He gently removed himself from her and stomped to the stove

"Son of a bitch," he swore, twisting the knob to turn off the burner and moving the pot of ruined food to the other side of the stove top after taking a peak to see how bad the damage was.

Audrey watched Nathan's tense shoulders slowly loosen as he sighed and then turned back to look at her. His eyes darkened as he took in her slightly swollen lips and her body that was still practically sprawled on the counter since she hadn't moved an inch when he had left to take care of their burned meal. She smiled when his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard and mentally debated with himself over what to do next. Before she could blink he was positioned in front of her again with her body practically draped across him.

"How do you feel about grilled cheese," he asked, his breath hot and wet against her ear before he sucked her earlobe into his mouth.

"Love it, it's my favorite way to eat cheese," she said, then shivered and moaned at the combination of him nuzzling her ear and his hand roughly scratching down the thick denim covering her thighs.

She had a feeling dinner would be postponed for little awhile.


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks again for reading and reviewing, everyone. Reviews make me happy, it's that simple. I'm sorry to report that I will be leaving town for vacation this Friday and will be gone and without access to a computer until Monday of that next week. I will try to write out the next chapter or two by hand if I have any spare time but it may be a while until the next update. Hopefully I will return recharged and give you some exciting chapters to read in the near future.-

It took awhile but Nathan finally managed to detach himself from Audrey before things started to get too serious, the kind of serious that involved nudity anyway. He carefully assembled and then cooked two grilled cheese sandwiches then warmed up a can of chicken noodle soup. Audrey left the kitchen and kept herself busy by setting the small table which took up almost all the space in a small alcove just off of the kitchen. As they passed back and forth of each other between the kitchen and the table, they couldn't help the glances and the wide smiles they traded or the light touches exchanged.

They sat in companionable silence over dinner, catty-corner from each other so that they could brush arms and legs while they ate. Nathan couldn't help the grin that stretched across his face, he felt like he should have felt when he was a teenager and finally snagged his first girlfriend. In actuality, the closest thing he ever had to a girl friend at that time was Hannah which did not turn out well due to her crazy and controlling father. It wasn't until he escaped Haven and went to college that he could be a normal teenager and experience the opposite sex as everyone else did. He was also able to hide his inability to feel pain from almost everyone with the exception of a couple of his room mates and the faculty of the school. Audrey was the first woman who knew about his condition and still treated him normally, still wanted him.

Taking a deep breath, Nathan looked up from the bowl of soup he was absentmindedly twirling his spoon around in and watched as Audrey took a large bite out of her sandwich, making an "Mmm" sound as she chewed.

"I think we should go on a date," he quietly announced, clearing his throat a bit nervously even though he had already spoken.

Audrey's head shot up and she struggled to swallow the bite she had taken as she looked back at him.

"You want to go on a date?" she asked, throat finally cleared of the food that had almost choked her. She carefully lowered her sandwich back onto her plate and wiped the melted butter off her hands and onto a paper napkin.

"Yes," Nathan said as he continued to stir his soup to keep his hand occupied. The other hand was busy drumming fingers on the table top next to his plate.

"Okay," she replied, picking up the sandwich again and taking another bite.

_Well, that was easier then expected._

As if reading his mind, Audrey swallowed a much smaller bite and smiled at him, "We just made out on your kitchen counter, Wournos. I think I'm pretty open to the idea of us dating."

Nathan smiled wryly. Any other woman would make a big production out of him asking them out, whether they wanted to go or not. Audrey just said yes with her 'Duh, Nathan' tone of voice, probably thinking that he was being overdramatic about it. He'd always hoped to find someone who didn't give two shits about the CIPA and now, here she was, scarfing down the simple meal he'd just made them like it was going out of style while staring at him like he was the dorkiest human being on earth and she just couldn't help liking him for it. How in the hell did he get so lucky?

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The Freddie was just as deceptive in appearance as many who were treated inside the sprawling structure. If a tourist were to pass by and not get a good look at the nameplate that was discretely tacked onto the side of the house or notice that many who wandered the grounds were clad in robes and pajamas, they would simply see a large, beautiful home with a well-kept lawn. Anyone born and raised in Haven, like Nathan, had always known of its existence and had a healthy respect for and kept a clear distance from the place. Most had a fear that if you got too close to the psychiatric hospital and its residents, you would be tainted by the madness. For many, the Troubles weren't people exhibiting strange abilities making unexplainable things happen. They were of the opinion that people were going crazy thinking they saw things or could do things that defied logic. Until Audrey came, Nathan knew that he was also in severe denial about the all the weirdness that occurred in Haven so he really couldn't blame anyone else for pretending like nothing was wrong.

Audrey, God love her, was of the opinion that the truth was the truth, no matter how weird and how much you didn't want it to be and she had dragged Nathan kicking and screaming to her way of thinking. He was the Scully to her Mulder, she had teased. Nathan hadn't really appreciated the comment at the time she had made it, commenting that he didn't appreciate being compared to a cynical woman, but he knew that it was true in a way.

The atmosphere at the Freddie that morning was calm and quiet. All the patients were complacent and going about their morning routines while ignoring the appearance of the two police officers. Visitors were nothing new to them and most either didn't notice or care that these two visitors were armed. The doctor on-call answered what questions he could in regards to Annabelle Gaynes and one of the nurses took Nathan and Audrey upstairs for a look at her room.

"She's really a rather sweet girl," the nurse who introduced herself as Debbie said. "Every now and then she has an episode but we try to keep her calm and her medication at a steady level."

"What exactly do you mean by episode?" Audrey asked as she climbed the stairs right behind the round yet fit middle aged woman.

Nathan tried not to watch Audrey's ass sway as he took the stairs behind her but gave up on that pretty quickly. Anyway, his hands had grabbed that ass last night and she hadn't minded at the time. It wasn't like he couldn't listen and look at two different things at the same time, he reasoned to himself.

"I'm sure Dr. Burke already told you about Annabelle's condition. Post traumatic stress disorder, while common, affects many people differently," Nurse Debbie lectured as she reached the landing to the second floor and continued down a wide, well lit hallway. "Annabelle lost her parents and younger siblings in a tragic event and was later somewhat disfigured by similar circumstances. She continues to try and repress what happened which is why she's been here for so long."

"What do you mean by event?" Nathan asked, eyes darting around to take in the line of closed doors that surrounded them as well as making numerous backward glances to make sure no one was following him. This wasn't the kind of place you wanted someone to get the drop on you.

"Poor dear lost her family in a fire," Nurse Debbie glanced back at them with a sad expression. "Then later she was burned very badly in another fire but we think that one was on purpose, that she burned herself. Now she has an understandable but very irrational fear of fire."

"So the first fire was an accident? Was that in Haven?" Audrey questioned.

Nathan shook his head at the same time Nurse Debbie did. He remembered that Annabelle hadn't started school with him until junior high and they had already researched every fire that had taken place in the last two decades but found no mention of her or her family.

"No, Portland, I believe," Nurse Debbie said, furrowing her eyebrows in thought as she stopped at one of the last doors down the hall.

"And you believe that the second fire, when she got burned, she set on purpose?" Audrey asked.

"From what she alluded to in therapy, that is what we believe. Some people greatly fear something yet have an unhealthy attraction to it at the same time. The first fire was an accidental electrical fire, we checked to make sure," Nurse Debbie stated, turning the knob of the door and stepping back to let it swing open.

Nathan's eyes widened and he heard Audrey let out a little gasp as she took a step back and ran into him. He settled his hand on her shoulder and she didn't move away as they took in the sight before them. What would have otherwise been a dull and somewhat dreary bedroom with only a bed, a dresser, a desk and a chair was instead a room covered in paintings, drawings and sketches of various depictions of fire as well as half a dozen fire extinguishers mounted or placed on the walls and floor all over the room.

"Fear and attraction," Audrey murmured, giving Nathan that look that clearly read 'Jack Pot! Crazy fire bug lives here'.

Nathan sighed as he followed his partner into the room to get a closer look, dropping his hand from her shoulder but making sure she was still within reach. Not only did he have a feeling that their date would have to wait for some other time, instead of that night like he had planned, he also had a feeling that Audrey's apartment fire was not the last fire they would see in Haven in the near future.


	12. Chapter 12

Yup, I have returned. Vacation was great and I didn't have to miss any new episodes of Haven, which was awesome. I was starting to get the shakes from not having access to a computer for over a week, though. Whatever did we do before the internet? Anyway, thanks again to those who reviewed and put the story on their alerts and favorites. -

Once Audrey got over the initial shock of all the various kinds of artwork that adorned the otherwise plain white walls in Annabelle Gaynes' bedroom, she joined Nathan as he conducted a thorough search of the small living space. Together, they looked in and under every drawer, underneath every piece of furniture and combed the small closet that held almost no personal items with the exception of some clothing and a pile of partly completed pictures of fire. There were also a couple of pictures that had nothing to do with Annabelle's obsession; instead they contained the smiling faces of people Audrey guessed were relatives of Annabelle. Audrey scooped up the papers and pictures then laid them on the desk that they had already searched which contained Annabelle's art supplies. She intended to go through the small pile after they were done with the initial search of the room.

Nathan continued to check any nook and cranny that could have been used as a hiding place and quickly removed and dismantled any personal items that had the possibility of concealing even the tiniest of objects. Nurse Debbie had already excused herself to go back downstairs to her post of watching over patients after kindly but firmly instructing Nathan and Audrey to clean up any messes made while they searched Annabelle's room.

"You know what?" Audrey stated, standing still in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips. "Once you get over the freakiness of it, those pictures are actually quite good."

Nathan just grunted in response as he jerked the blankets and sheets off of a narrow twin bed that had been placed against the wall opposite of the closet. He then lifted the side of the mattress in order to look between it and the box springs.

"I'm sure they look through these rooms on a regular basis, Nathan. This is a home for people with psychological issues," Audrey said dryly as Nathan quickly re-made the bed.

"So check under the box springs?" he asked.

"Exactly," Audrey said, tapping her fingers on her hips as she once again studied the pictures on the wall.

The small bed creaked as Nathan lifted up the entire metal frame on one side and peered underneath it. Shaking his head and huffing in annoyance when he didn't find anything, Nathan gently put everything back down and shoved his hands into the back pockets of his jeans.

"Nothing," Nathan announced, rocking back on his heels as he turned to face Audrey. "Apparently what we see is what we get."

"And what do you see?" she asked, raising her hands and gesturing at the walls surrounding them.

"Fire," Nathan responded, tone lowered in concern. "A lot of freaking fire."

He moved a couple of steps until he was standing next to Audrey, close enough so that their arms brushed, as he studied the artwork on the walls with her. As he followed the lines and colors depicting a cluster of flames that looked like they were coming out of a barrel or trash can in one picture, that thing that had been hovering in the far corner of his brain that he couldn't quite remember for the last few days suddenly came to light.

"You know, in high school there was a fire in a trash can in the girl's bathroom," Nathan said. "I was walking by and was the first to smell the smoke so I went in. It was a small fire and I used water from the sink next to the trash can to put it out but Annabelle and a couple of girls who picked on her were in there at the same time."

"You're just now just telling me this?" Audrey questioned, turning her head to look at him in confusion.

"Completely forgot about it until now. High school was not exactly a fun experience that I enjoy dwelling on," Nathan shrugged.

Audrey nodded in agreement, "Let me guess. There was no police report made over the incident."

She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against Nathan's side as she looked at each picture more intently. Nathan glanced down at the top of her head, surprised by the subtle yet voluntary display of affection while they were working. Audrey did not look away from the walls, either not acknowledging or unaware of her action causing one side of Nathan's mouth to quirk up in a half smile.

"No one admitted to doing it and no damage was done except to the trash can," Nathan said. "But, if I remember correctly, those girls never bothered Annabelle again. Kept their distance from her after that, in fact."

"You think that Annabelle showed them a small dose of what she might be capable of and it scared them off?" Audrey asked, finally turning her full attention onto Nathan.

Nathan furrowed his eyebrows as he continued to stare at his partner who had turned her face up to look at him, "What exactly is it that you think she was capable of?"

"Pyrokinesis."

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Nathan scoffed at Audrey's notion of pyrokinesis at first but Audrey was used to that. Nathan's first reaction to a weird case was to deny and dismiss any suggestions Audrey made that had to do with paranormal abilities but he usually came around real fast. He'd had a first hand account of too many weird things happening to stay in denial that long.

Audrey sipped from her to-go cup of coffee as she and Nathan sat next to each other inside his truck parked in front of the house that Annabelle always went to when she was released from the Freddie to visit relatives for the weekend.

"You would think that someone would check to make sure Annabelle was where she was supposed to be when she left those weekends," Audrey said as she studied a house that had obviously been abandoned for awhile.

The small house that was previously owned by Scott and Tonya Gaynes, Annabelle's aunt and uncle, was once a beautiful but simple looking cottage set back behind a grove a trees on the outskirts of Haven. A narrow and cracked paved road was the only entrance onto the property unless you wanted to hike up the yard on foot. The outside of the house had once been white but had since turned a dingy grey. The front yard was starting to look overgrown in some places and bald in others. A single for sale sign jutted out crookedly from one of the bald patches of ground in front of a small, enclosed porch.

"According to Debbie and the other staff, someone always came and picked her up," Nathan said and he took a long gulp from his own cup making Audrey wince since she knew that his coffee was still hot and would have burned anyone else.

"Let me guess, they never got out of the car and no one thought to check the driver since they always picked her up in the same vehicle," Audrey said, putting her coffee cup in one of Nathan's cup holders near the dash and combing her fingers through her hair while propping her elbow against the interior of the passenger side door.

"Bingo," Nathan said, also putting down his coffee cup.

Audrey watched as Nathan opened his door and slid out of the vehicle, tugging on his jacket so that his gun was covered. He looked over at her.

"Ready to do some more investigating?"

She smiled and rolled her eyes, "I was born ready, Wournos."


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks to everyone for continuing to read and review. I appreciate all the nice comments I've received and I'll try to update more often but I think we're coming close to the end of this story, maybe. I never write with a clear plan so it's hard to say what's going to happen next let alone when something will end. Again, thanks for reading!-

The inside of the house had fared much better than the outside since it had not been exposed to the harsh weather conditions that existed on the coast of Maine. It also had remained free of vandalism and there were no signs that any critters had made their home inside the abandoned structure. Nathan and Audrey silently surveyed what they could see of the first floor from the large entryway they were standing in, hands near their weapons so that they were in quick and easy reach if needed. The layout of the house was pretty open; one room went directly into the other without a hallway with the exception of a kitchen that Nathan knew was in the back of the house. The layout was similar to his own childhood home that the Chief still lived in.

Quietly, they walked through every room on the ground floor before returning to the entryway where the staircase leading to the upstairs portion of the house was located. The rooms were empty and dusty with that depressing feeling that houses had when no one lived in them anymore. Nathan couldn't help but admire the dark hardwood floors that barely creaked as he and Audrey walked across them. Thankfully that admiration led to Nathan noticing footprints in the dust that did not belong to either him or Audrey.

"Parker," he whispered, pointing to what were possibly two sets of footprints that were similar in size.

Audrey looked down, eyes narrowed as she nodded her head in understanding. She and Nathan unholstered their guns at the same time and clicked off the safety. Nathan took the lead as they slowly crept up the stairs, staying as close to the wall as they could to avoid making noise if they stepped on a creaky stair so that they wouldn't alert anyone that might be hiding somewhere on the second floor.

Methodically they checked the upstairs in a similar manner as they had the downstairs, going from room to room while keeping their eyes on the hallway. It wasn't until they reached the last bedroom that they found anything.

"And we have a winner," Audrey muttered, checking to make sure the room was cleared before holstering her weapon.

Nathan kept his gun drawn and positioned himself in the doorway so that he could keep an eye on his partner and anyone who might try sneaking up on them or out of the house from a hiding place they hadn't found and searched yet. The small room was surprising similar to the bedroom they had just searched at the Freddie only without the furniture. Two sleeping bags were unrolled in the middle of the room complete with pillows and extra blankets to guard against the chilly evenings. A suitcase and a large duffle bag had been placed against one of the walls and a small plastic bucket which held empty food wrappers and other trash sat on the other side of the room. A large drawing pad sat on one of the sleeping bags and Audrey knelt down and picked it up, opening it and showing Nathan similar pictures that they had already seen in Annabelle's room at the Freddie.

"We found the lair," Nathan commented, head turning back and forth between the room and the hallway as Audrey opened an empty closet and then went to look through the bag and suitcase.

"The tags on the suitcase have Annabelle's name on them," Audrey said, shaking her head and laying the suitcase down so she could open it without the contents spilling out, "At least she's not a criminal mastermind, yet."

"I wonder if we could say the same about the second person," Nathan said, nodding towards the second sleeping bags.

Audrey pawed through Annabelle's belongings but did not find anything besides clothes and toiletries. The duffel bag was also opened and given the same treatment but it only held clothing as well. Nathan muttered a curse word under his breath. He had hoped that they might find some sort of I.D. in the second bag that would help tell them where to look next. He quirked an eyebrow as Audrey took out a long sleeved shirt and held it against herself.

"The clothes are women's clothing and they are on the petite side," she explained, dropping the shirt on the floor near the duffle bag.

She then unfolded a pair of jeans, stood up and held them against her bottom half, "See, she's shorter and skinnier then me. Apparently, she also has no ass."

Audrey muttered the second sentence in that part disgusted and part envious tone women had when they talked about other women and compared themselves to them. Nathan couldn't figure out why women did that. Women came in all shapes and sizes, like men, and men were attracted to all different shapes and sizes, like women.

"I like your ass," he said, grinning as Audrey's head whipped around and she stared at him in surprise, "A woman who doesn't have some sort of ass is a damn shame, in my opinion."

"So you're as ass man?" Audrey questioned, laughing a little as Nathan's face scrunched up in distaste for the term.

"I appreciate the female form so I like women who look like women," he said, his eyes roaming over her body, partly in jest but mostly with appreciation.

"And I like the strong, silent type so stop trying to embarrass me and put that gun away already, no one is here," Audrey said, her cheeks already stained that light pink color that Nathan was growing to like.

He complied and stepped further into the room as Audrey re-packed the suitcase and duffle bag before putting them back where she had found them. The room and the upstairs hallway had already been dusted so Nathan knew they didn't have to worry about leaving their own footprints as evidence. They would have to shuffle their feet and mess up their prints on their way out downstairs and hope that Annabelle or their mystery woman would not notice the increased foot traffic when they came back.

"So do you want us to take the day shift or the night shift of the stake out," Nathan asked, already anticipating their next course of action.

"They have to come back to sleep some time and I'm thinking it's going to be tonight," Audrey said, standing up and looking around the room to make sure she didn't overlook anything.

"Me too," Nathan said. "Night shift it is."


	14. Chapter 14

Just read online that Haven will be returning for another season which will probably premier in the summer of 2011. Awesome! Also, no big surprise but there will be a third season of Warehouse 13 as well, again very awesome. I love how decent shows can survive on the cable channels but not on network. Guess I'm still sore about all those good shows like the Unusuals and Life that have been cancelled. Why is it unless they have huge numbers, they don't bother to save anything anymore? End rant. Thanks to everyone for continuing to read and review!

Scott and Tonya Gaynes were no longer the bright, young and vivacious looking couple that had appeared numerous times on the society page of the Haven Gazette years ago. Audrey supposed losing your job, money and most of your financial holdings could do that. Sitting next to each other at the large table where Duke had been interrogated just a few weeks ago, the Gaynes' looked like a much older, washed out version of the people that smiled up at Audrey from the newspaper clipping that had been placed in the file she and Nathan started over the case. That file was now sitting firmly in Audrey's lap for her to glance at even through she had already memorized its contents.

Mrs. Gaynes clung to her husbands hand and stared at Nathan as he explained why they were asked to drive in from Portland. Her eyes grew bigger and her mouth puckered as they spoke about the fire, a sure sign that she knew something and was physically trying to keep it to herself. Mr. Gaynes was much better at bluffing then his wife and continuously looked back and forth between Audrey and Nathan, studying them with a blank expression.

It had only taken a few minutes to explain the situation to the Chief once they left the Gaynes' former residence and waited in Nathan's truck for backup to arrive that morning. They were also able to find a decent hiding place for their vehicles behind some foliage on the edge of the property and still having a good view of the house and the surrounding area. Audrey couldn't help but note that Hardy and Thompson, the two middle-aged cops that relieved them, were practically smirking and nudging each other with their elbows every few minutes while Nathan briefed them on what was going on. Apparently everyone working at the Haven PD had already been filled in on the news that she and Nathan were caught kissing in their office and Audrey wouldn't have been surprised if the entire population of Haven would be in the loop by the end of the day.

By the time they returned to the station it was late morning and Scott and Tonya Gaynes were on their way in from the city. Now, it was lunchtime and Audrey and Nathan were trying to pry as much information as they could from the older couple in front of them. However, the Gaynes were proving to be as tight lipped and guilty looking as Duke usually was on any given day of the week.

"Look," Audrey broke in, willing to play bad cop so that they could get somewhere with the couple. "We know you guys know something and we just want to keep anyone from getting hurt."

"If you're hiding something because you think that we won't believe you it's not necessary," Nathan said, keeping his voice low and not breaking eye contact with Mrs. Gaynes who was obviously the weaker link. "Officer Parker and I are very much aware that there are many in Haven who are afflicted with ablilities that they can't always help or control. Nothing you could tell us would shock us."

"I don't know, Nathan," Audrey said after a long moment of silence. "I think that they know everything and they just want to cover their own asses. They probably kidnapped Annabelle and are using her to get back at the town or something."

Audrey had a hard time keeping a smile off of her face as Mr. Gaynes shot out of his seat, planted his hands on the table in front of him and leaned over it to get into her face.

"You don't know what the hell you are talking about. We love Anna and would never do anything to hurt her. We know how much she needs to be in the Freddie, no matter how much we hate this town" Mr. Gaynes shouted, his dark eyes boring into Audrey as his lips curled back reminding Audrey of a snarling dog.

Audrey remained in her seat as she stared back at Scott Gaynes, trying to read him. Nathan sighed heavily next to her and stood up, put his hand on the shoulders of the man in front of him and gave him a light but firm shove away from her and back down towards the chair.

"Why do you hate Haven?" Audrey asked her tone firm but lighter than before.

"We were doing well, our business was thriving until we moved here," Mrs. Gaynes said, ignoring the warning look her husband shot at her. "We put a lot of our money into real estate and other businesses to try to increase tourism which we had been very successful with before, but once the town realized what we were doing they shut us down. They did everything they could to keep outsiders away from Haven so our store and hotel went bankrupt. We went bankrupt."

"We lost everything because of a bunch of scared, superstitious idiots," Mr. Gaynes growled. "We had to leave Annabelle here due to her illness but we took our daughter and left. While a part of me would like nothing more than to firebomb this cursed place into smithereens, I'm not crazy enough to do it."

"And we would never ask or make Anna do it for us," Mrs. Gaynes continued. "I know you haven't come right out and said that you know what she's afflicted with but after the incident where she burned herself we knew that we had to get her some help. We wouldn't jeopardize the progress that she's made for some petty and pointless revenge."

Audrey nodded her head in acknowledgement of the woman's words. The Gaynes had arrived in a blue SUV so it was obvious that they weren't the ones who had picked up Annabelle at the Freddie unless they borrowed or rented a small white car.

"Fine, but do you have any idea who it is that has been picking up Annabelle on the weekends if it wasn't you?" Audrey asked.

She almost missed it, a slight twitch at the corner of Scott Gaynes left eye and Tonya Gaynes fingers involuntarily twitching against the arms of her chair. Yup, they definitely knew.

"We know that you know," Nathan said, obviously catching their guilty movements as well. "Help us stop this before it's too late and someone gets killed."

The Gaynes turned their heads and stared at each other, having a silent conversation using their eyes. Mrs. Gaynes gave a slight nod and then turned her head back to look at the table top.

"You have to understand, losing the money along with almost everything we had was really hard not only on us but our girls as well. Anna withdrew more and Jaime couldn't understand why everything changed and became so much harder. It changed all of us," Mr. Gaynes said, staring intently at Nathan.

"We got a call yesterday that Jaime hasn't been to her apartment or to any of her classes or work this past week," Mrs. Gaynes said, voice rising and getting shrill. "She was the one who used to pick up Anna and spend the weekends with her, they're like sisters. She recently lost her scholarship at school and it went to a kid who graduated from Haven instead. I think that was just the last straw."

"She's had anger issues in the past," Mr. Gaynes said, slumping back into his chair. "But she wouldn't hurt Anna, not on purpose."

"She hates this place more than we do and once we heard about the fire at our old hotel a few hours ago, we knew that Jaime and Anna were the ones responsible. We just want them back safely."

Audrey nodded and let the hardened expression slide from her face, "We'll do whatever we can to make sure that happens."

Mr. Gaynes nodded in thanks and let out a breath as he once again held onto his wife's hand. Audrey looked over at Nathan who was already watching her. At least they had some answers now and Audrey hoped that by tomorrow morning, they would have the whole situation resolved. However, she had a feeling that they were in for a very long night.


	15. Chapter 15

Sorry about lack of updates. I know, I suck. Hopefully I can get this story finished soon but who knows. I had originally planned for this to be just a few chapters but this thing grew and I went with it. Anyway, once I finish this I was thinking about writing a romance/suspense story with Duke and Julia as the main characters. Let me know if you would be interested in reading something like that, I've already got an idea or two on what to write but I need to go back to some other stories I haven't finished yet so I'm not sure when I would start it. Also, if you have any suggestions, let me know. Thanks for reading and reviewing!-

Nathan wasn't quite sure how he got roped into helping Audrey put away all of the out-dated paperwork that had been taking up every available space in their office, but he was pretty sure it had something to do with a suggestive comment, big imploring eyes and a cute little smile all delivered simultaneously by his partner. Before he knew it, Nathan was following Audrey around the station, arms loaded with papers and folders, as she directed him to where everything went according to the system she devised. It should have worried him that he was willing to do whatever she wanted just to make her happy, but it didn't. He'd happily follow her anywhere, carrying anything she wanted him to while grumbling under his breath in complaint the whole time, of course.

They were able to finish the project by late afternoon and had a few hours to kill before relieving Hardy and Thompson, who were probably playing poker in their unmarked sedan while they kept eye on the Gaynes' place. Audrey suggested that Nathan pick them up something to eat while she ran into the clothing shop next door to get a new heavy jacket and other warm clothing so she wouldn't freeze in the truck if they had to stay in it overnight. Nathan had agreed to her plan which was why he found himself lounging against the long counter at the diner waiting for their order to finish cooking a half hour later. As he idly watched Buck, the day cook, move around the kitchen in quick and efficient movements, Nathan heard a throat clear behind him in an obvious and obnoxious manner. Turning, Nathan swallowed a groan.

"Afternoon Nathan," Duke greeted with a lopsided smile as he leaned against the counter next to Nathan.

Nathan curbed the impulse to scoot away from the man who was a little too close for comfort, not wanting to give Duke any kind of advantage but wary of the man's too friendly demeanor.

"Duke," Nathan nodded before turning his face back towards the kitchen area to watch one of the younger waitresses, Abby, wrap up and carefully place his order into a brown paper sack.

"So, I hear congratulations are in order," Duke said.

Nathan straightened and took a step back from the counter, careful not to hit the back of his left leg on a stool. The diner was practically empty since it wasn't lunch time anymore and still a little too early for dinner. For that, Nathan was grateful since he wasn't sure if Duke intended on making a scene. He turned to completely face Duke while quirking an eyebrow.

"You and Audrey. I heard things got a little hot and heavy at the ol' station last night," Duke said, his grin growing impossibly wide. "Good for you man."

"Thanks," Nathan replied dryly.

"Yup, you're a lucky guy," Duke continued. "Those take charge, buttoned up kind of women are always great in bed. But, I don't have to tell you that."

Nathan just rolled his eyes but couldn't stop his fists from clenching. This was a classic Duke maneuver, trying to fish for information while at the same time wanting to get a rise out of him. It was half working which was why Duke always used it.

"Whatever," Nathan said grabbing his to-go bag that Abby had placed on the counter in front of him. "See you around."

"Sure will," Duke said, moving over to stand directly in front of Nathan, blocking his escape. "And when Audrey gets tired of you, Pinocchio, and decides that she wants a real boy with real feelings, you just let her know that I'll be around."

"Right, 'cause you're a real sensitive guy," Nathan growled. "If you had any kind of feelings then you wouldn't be such a selfish, loathsome bastard. Don't forget that I know you better than anyone and unless you want Audrey to know who you really are and see that look of disgust in her eyes the next time she looks at you I suggest you stay away from her. From us."

Duke's smirk slid off his face and his eyes narrowed in anger, "You have just as much garbage in your past as I do, don't forget you were there right next to me through most of it, buddy. You start airing my dirty laundry, I sure as hell will do the same to you. Let's just see who Audrey would be disgusted by more, huh."

Nathan roughly shoved Duke aside with his elbow and left the diner before he lost all of his control and took a swing. He had a feeling that once he started beating on Duke, he wouldn't be able to stop and killing the guy wouldn't have been the best idea. Taking shallow, ragged breaths Nathan walked down the sidewalk a few steps until he reached the store Audrey had gone into. Looking through the display window at the front of the building, he saw that Audrey was already at the counter paying for a large bag that was taking up most of the table space next to the register. As if sensing that he was there, she looked over and smiled at him, holding up one finger in the universal "I'll be just one moment" gesture. He nodded, grateful for the small amount of time he was given to calm down. He also grateful that Duke hadn't followed him outside. He didn't want Audrey to see him lose control again and pound the snot out of Duke since there was no one with an ability to blame this time.

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"What's wrong?" Audrey asked as she finished chewing on the last bite of her burger.

They had gone to his house directly from the store and were currently bent over opposite sides of the kitchen table while they ate their greasy burgers and fries. Audrey had been talking almost non-stop once they got into his truck, clearly excited about the stakeout and relieved to be out of the office and away from all that paperwork for awhile. Nathan had tried to keep up with her conversation but the harsh words spoken between him and Duke kept rolling around in his head. What would Audrey do when she found out some of the things he had done? Would she still want to be with him?

"Nothing," Nathan automatically answered.

Audrey snorted and lifted up the can of soda next to her, "You are such a bad liar. Really, what's wrong?"

Nathan watched as Audrey took a drink and put the can back down on the table. He wondered if she would still be so calm once she knew who he really was.

"I ran into Duke while I was waiting for our food," Nathan said, picking up a fry and jamming it into some ketchup.

"Oh," Audrey said in understanding. "And I guess he was his usual, gracious self."

"Something like that, yeah. He just wanted me to know that he knew about us," Nathan said, hoping Audrey would accept his answer and they could drop the conversation. Unfortunately, he forgot that she could sniff out weakness and secrets like a bloodhound.

"So he was an ass about it. Big surprise," she said, popping one of her own fries into her mouth. "What else did he say that would have you look like you want to crawl out of your own skin right now?"

Nathan sighed and dropped the fry he had been playing with.

"There are some things that you don't know about me, Audrey."

That certainly got her attention. Ignoring her food, she stood up and took the empty seat next to him at the table.

"Why don't you tell me then," she said.

So he did. Nathan talked about how everyone in town and at school always made him feel like a freak when he was a kid, especially Duke and his friends. Then as teenagers, Duke started being nice to him and included him in his group. Before he knew it, he was running around town stealing, vandalizing and causing general havoc with his new best friend. Everything was going fine until Nathan developed a crush on a new girl in school named Molly and once Duke found out then he made it a competition to get the girl's attention. Of course she chose Duke over Nathan and that was the beginning of the end. Duke used her and then ignored her so it was no surprise when she moved away at the end of the school year. After that, he could barely stand to look at Duke and the feeling was mutual.

Once he finished talking, Nathan watched as Audrey digested this new information as she stared at the table top, absentmindedly running her fingers across the surface.

"Did you ever hurt anyone on purpose?" Audrey asked, finally looking up and meeting his eyes.

"Besides the Chief who was embarrassed at having a juvenile delinquent as a son? No."

"Then I don't care," Audrey said with a shrug. She reached over and picked up his drink since hers was apparently too far away. "We all have a past, Nathan. At least you've learned from yours and have moved on."

Nathan smiled in relief and let out a breath as Audrey drank his soda. That went much better then expected. Gently, he wrapped his hand around Audrey's upper arm and pulled her out of her chair and onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around her, he perched his chin on her shoulder and took another deep breath and chuckled when Audrey shivered as he exhaled against her neck.

"What do you say we take a little nap before our stakeout tonight?" he asked.


	16. Chapter 16

Hello everyone! Sorry about my lack of updates, been in a funk and not in the mood to write lately but hopefully that has run its course and I can finish this story sometime soon. It was brought to my attention that while Nathan can't feel anything (but Audrey) on the show, in my story that is not the case. The reason for that is that when I started this story, only three episodes of the show had aired and we only knew for sure that Nathan couldn't feel pain or temperature. Obviously, I can't really go back and change that so in this story, he can feel sensation. I have mentioned in earlier chapters that Nathan thinks his sense of touch is fading and I will deal with that idea further. It kind of bugs me that I have to ignore such a big piece of information but I'll just try to maneuver around it. Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing, it's very much appreciated. -

Audrey slowly surfaced from a deep sleep that hadn't lasted nearly as long as it should have. The sun had already set but a neighbor's back porch light was softly illuminating the interior of Nathan's bedroom since the blinds in the room had been left open. Sighing deeply, Audrey automatically snuggled closer to the warm body she was already curled around. She blinked her eyes a few times, knowing that the alarm Nathan had set before their nap would be going off soon but she was too warm and comfortable to move. The thought of leaving the cozy bed and the strong embrace she was currently locked in with Nathan seemed almost cruel. Audrey knew that she would be glad when their case was over so that she could enjoy some uninterrupted quality time with her partner as they sorted out their new relationship and how it would affect their personal and professional lives.

She couldn't help but smile as she thought about the complex yet simple man lying on his back next to her. Audrey's front was pressed against Nathan's side and covered part of his chest while one of his arms was firmly wrapped around her waist and the hand on his other arm was pressed against her shoulder blade, gently holding her against him. Audrey rubbed her cheek against the soft worn cotton of Nathan's long sleeved shirt as she lazily yawned against his shoulder. When Nathan had suggested that they take a "nap", she should have figured that he meant a real nap since Nathan seemed bound and determined to be a gentleman when it came to their relationship. It wasn't that she minded because, honestly, no one had ever really cared enough about her to be a gentleman. She also knew that while he was trying to show her how much he cared about and respected her, Audrey suspected that Nathan was also wary about being used himself. She had a feeling that Nathan rarely let anyone into his life the way he did with her. If he wanted to go slow and "do things right", then far be it for her to stop him.

Audrey was somehow able to convince Nathan to take that nap with her since he refused to follow through with his innuendo so they had snuggled up together and promptly fell asleep in his bed. She never imagined that she would "snuggle" with anyone, the word alone was so cute it made her want to gag, and she would have never pegged Nathan as the kind of guy who liked to cuddle but the proof was right next to her. Her gruff, tough and stoic partner was just a big pile of mush and obviously in need of affection, much like she was.

"Hey," Nathan's gruff voice broke into her thoughts. "You know you wiggle a lot when you first wake up."

Audrey lifted her head up and frowned at him in mock annoyance, "I do not."

Lifting up his eyebrows, Nathan pointedly looked at her right hand which was laying flat, palm down, against his other shoulder. Her index and middle fingers were tapping at opposite times in a beat only they seemed to hear.

"Huh. Well, I'll be damned," she said, moving the offending hand so that it was wedged between Nathan's chest and her chin as she continued to look at him. "You snore."

"Do not," was his immediate reply as he lifted the arm Audrey was not lying on and started stroking her hair with his long fingers.

"Do too," she stated. "But it's not as bad as all that drooling you do."

Audrey could feel the vibration against her hand as a short laugh burst out of Nathan and he smiled indulgently at her. "I definitely do not drool. If I did, you'd have spit in your hair."

"Gross, Nathan," Audrey said, scrunching up her face as he laughed again.

"You need to do that more," she continued, knowing that she sounded like a cliché heroine in a movie but was unable to stop herself from speaking. "You're too serious. You need to smile and laugh like you are now."

"So do you," Nathan said, his blue eyes serious even though a hint of a smile was still on the corners of his mouth. "Besides, I didn't have a reason to laugh or smile until you showed up."

"Oh my God," Audrey said, lifting up her head so she could lightly smack his chest. "If you start spouting poetry at me I'm so out of here."

The grin Audrey could feel plastered on her face took the bite out of her comment and she felt Nathan's hand drop from her hair and start tracing a path around her face.

"I could never get the hang of rhyming so you don't have to worry about that," he said softly. "Seriously, though, it's like when I'm touching you, my sense of touch is much sharper then it has been for a long time. It's like I was in the middle of a fog and now, all of a sudden, everything is clear and so much brighter. Because of you."

Audrey stared at Nathan, not able to respond. No one had ever said anything quite like that to her before. She watched as Nathan's expression changed from happy and content to worried and vulnerable and she knew he was scared that he might have said too much.

"Hey," she said, reaching up and holding her hand against his which was warm against her cheek. "I was just joking before. I want to you to tell me things, even if you feel the need to put it into a crappy sonnet."

Taking a deep breath, Audrey decided that his honesty deserved a little honesty from her.

"One of the biggest reasons why I decided to stay in Haven was because I felt at home here. Sure, I want to find out if the woman in the photo is my mother and I like investigating all the weird stuff that goes on, but most of all I feel like I belong here. With you. You feel like home, or at least what I think home should feel like."

Audrey held her breath as she waited for Nathan's reaction. She couldn't have felt more naked even though she was still fully clothed. She exhaled in relief as Nathan smiled again and slid his hand to the back of her neck, pulling her to him as he kissed her. His mouth slowly and leisurely explored hers and Audrey automatically shifted so that her body covered his like a human blanket. They both groaned as the alarm on the bedside table went off, its shrill beep making them both jump a little and bump noses before breaking apart.

"We'd better get up so we can take over for Hardy and Thompson," Audrey said, rolling off of Nathan and out of his bed. She slapped the off button on the alarm to silence it.

"Audrey," Nathan said sitting up and grabbing her arm as she turned towards the door. "What you just said. I feel that way too."

Beaming, Audrey twisted her arm out of Nathan's light grasp and took his hand. She pulled him out of bed and started tugging him towards the door with her.

"Let's move, Wournos. We got a couple of pyros to catch."

When they arrived at the spot where they had left Hardy and Thompson hidden in an unmarked sedan on the Gaynes' property, all they found was an empty car with a couple of paper to go cups still half full of cold coffee. Glancing at the house from between the shrubbery, Audrey swore as she saw smoke spilling out of an upstairs window of the otherwise dark and vacant looking house. Nathan followed her gaze and took out his gun.

"Shit."

"Yeah," Audrey said, taking out her own gun with one hand and flipping open her cell phone with the other, punching in 911 with her thumb.

After identifying herself, reporting the fire and hanging up, Audrey followed Nathan as he jogged briskly towards the house, head constantly turning as he scanned the property for any signs of Hardy, Thompson or the Gaynes'. He paused before climbing the porch.

"You should stay out here while I check the house," he said.

"You're kidding, right," Audrey snorted. "Maybe you should stay out here while I check the house."

Sighing, Nathan glanced around the perimeter again as his shoulders tensed, wanting to argue but knowing there was no time.

"Fine, but we stick together."

Nodding, Audrey followed Nathan up the stairs and tightened her grip on her gun as Nathan opened the front door and quickly entered, pointing his weapon in various directions as he cautiously walked into the dark, smoke filled house. Audrey took a deep breath and tried not to think of that last night at her apartment and how she had to choose between jumping out of a window to save herself or stay and face probable death from fire or smoke inhalation. Shaking her head, she slowly stepped into the house. She was serious about what she had said to Nathan earlier that night. Where he went, she planned to follow. No matter what.


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you everyone for reading and putting this on your alerts. I'm glad you guys are still enjoying this. I'll try to update again soon, hopefully things will calm down since the holidays are over and I can wrap this story up.-

The air in front of Nathan was like a dark blanket covering his face, smothering him as he took his first few steps into the house. He could literally not see past his own nose and that feeling made sweat break out all over his body. Anyone or anything could be standing right next to him, waiting to attack and he would not know it until it was too late. That terror doubled since Audrey was practically walking on his heels right behind him. While he knew that she could handle any threat that came her way as well as he could, that need to keep her safe had taken root at some point and was growing stronger every day. It was something Nathan knew that he would just have to deal with because Audrey was not the kind of woman who would stay on the sidelines. However, that fear of having her taken away from him after they had finally decided to be together was choking him as much as the smoke filled darkness in front of him was.

Reaching behind him, Nathan grasped a handful of Audrey's coat sleeve making sure that she stayed near him as they maneuvered blindly through the downstairs portion of the building. Understanding his intent, Audrey tugged her arm out of his firm hold and quickly grabbed onto his hand, anchoring herself to him but still getting the mobility she needed.

The sounds of someone pounding on a wooden surface made Nathan halt suddenly and he rocked forwards but kept his balance as Audrey slammed into his back.

"Why'd you stop?" she questioned, backing up a step before he shushed her.

The pounding had stopped briefly for a few seconds but then started again. Nathan could also hear shouting that, despite the fact that it was muffled, had a desperate quality to it. He could tell by the way Audrey's fingers had tightened around his hand that she had heard it to.

"Bet that's Thompson and Hardy," she said.

Nathan nodded in agreement even though he doubted Audrey could see him. Gingerly, he walked towards the direction the sounds were coming from while he tried not to run face first into a wall instead of a doorway. Audrey was being impatient, big surprise, and while still holding on to him was gently pushing against his back with her body, probably not even aware she was doing it. Nathan didn't mind, it wasn't like she was shoving him and it calmed his fears of being separated from her in this smoky, pitch black version of hell.

They finally reached a hall closet where the noise being made was much clearer and Nathan let go of Audrey to bang on the door to get the two officers' attention.

"Calm down, we'll get you out," he bellowed.

All of the noise ceased while Nathan stepped back and twisted the door knob, hearing a clicking sound as the lock was released and the door swung open with a loud thump as it hit the wall.

"Thank Christ you finally came, Wuornos," one of the men, probably the portly Hardy, said in a scratchy tone. "We thought we were gonna be a couple of crispy critters."

"Anyone else in here?" Nathan asked.

"No," Hardy said. "We heard those two little bitches leave right before we started smelling the smoke. They're probably long gone by now."

"Let's get the hell out of here then," Audrey said, her voice strained as the smoke started to clog up her nose and throat.

Nathan automatically reached out and took her empty hand again and told the men to grab onto the back of their coats so they could lead them out of the house. Once he felt a tug on his clothing and Audrey squeezed his hand to signal that she was ready, he turned and made a hasty retreat the same way they came in.

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Nathan stood next to his truck, leaning against the closed driver's side door while studying the house in front of him. Audrey was beside him in a similar pose only her eyes moved restlessly around the property. An ambulance, along with the fire department had come and gone taking "Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumbass" (Audrey's words, of course) with them. Both men had suffered head injuries from a blow to the head which had knocked them unconscious for a short amount of time. Nathan had no idea how two petite women were able to transfer a couple of full sized men from the car to the house and frankly, really didn't care. They were lucky to be alive and he was happy that he wasn't standing over a couple of charred corpses inside a destroyed crime scene. Audrey didn't quite feel the same way and was in the middle of a rant about how stupid and careless Thompson and Hardy had been.

"I mean, didn't they understand the whole point of this was to be covert. There was a reason they were parked behind trees and bushes for Christ's sake. But no, let's get bored and restless and sit on the car hood while playing poker with a book light. I feel like I'm in the middle of a Police Academy movie only I'm not laughing," Audrey said, her voice rising as she went.

"Audrey," Nathan finally interrupted, nudging her shoulder with his arm.

"What?" she asked crossly while scooting closer so that their arms remained touching.

"We're okay," he said, not looking at her but keeping his eyes trained on the house.

"Umm, alright," she said in confusion and Nathan could feel her focus shift onto him. "What are you talking about?"

"It couldn't have been easy, going into a house that was on fire after what happened at your apartment. But you did it and we got them out alive. Hell, the fire wasn't even that bad and you can barely see the damage," Nathan said, nodding towards the sad remains of what was probably a happy home at one time.

"I wasn't scared," Audrey stated and then sighed heavily. "Alright, fine. I was scared and I will probably have nightmares about this when we go to bed later but I did what I had to do. A little anxiety is not going to stop me."

"I know, I'm not worried about that," Nathan said, turning his head to look down at her. "Did you just say 'when we go to bed'? I thought we already had this conversation."

Audrey just rolled her eyes at him, "If we napped together, we can sleep beside each other at night until you either get over this whole being a gentleman thing or we finally get to go on that date. We'll be unconscious the whole time anyway so what's the big deal?"

Nathan couldn't help but shake his head a little at Audrey's way of rationalizing. You would have thought he was punishing her or acting like someone's prude grandmother the way she talked. He didn't think it would be as innocent as just lying next to each other unconscious as Audrey was trying to make the idea of sleeping together. However, he really liked waking up next to her.

"I guess, just keep your paws to yourself," he said, poking her in the side with his elbow while his mouth twitched.

Audrey gave a short laugh, "Right, I'm the grabby one. Don't worry; your maidenly virtue will remain intact. For now."

Nathan quietly laughed and lifted his arm then put it around her shoulders, tugging her firmly against him.

"As long as you still respect me in the morning, Parker," he said.

Smiling, Audrey looked up at him for a long moment then turned her attention back to the house.

"What now?" she asked.

"Not sure," Nathan said. "But I kind of feel like we're being watched."

"Me too," Audrey said, acknowledging the itchy feeling she'd had for the last few minutes as she and Nathan stood next to his truck in plain view of the house. "You think they're nearby? Watching?"

"Yes," Nathan replied.


	18. Chapter 18

I'm baaaaaack! I sincerely apologize for neglecting this story (all my stories actually). It's been a rough few months between dealing with my job, friends and life in general. Also, a relative of mine passed away a couple of weeks ago from cancer after battling it for a year and it's been tough. You don't always realize how important some people are to you until they are not there anymore. Anyway, I thought I'd get back to writing to pull myself out of the anger and depression I've been feeling since then. Also, I wanted to finish this story before the new season of Haven starts. Whoo-hoo! Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated.

* * *

The soft creak of a floorboard shattered the pre-dawn silence in Nathan's small, cozy home and abruptly woke him. Lifting his head from his pillow, Nathan narrowed his eyes as he watched the doorway to the bedroom. He had left the door wide open for Audrey's comfort. She had closed the blinds before crawling into a bed with him when they had arrived home after they had made a brief stop at the station to fill in the Chief once they had left the Gaynes' former property. Chief Wournos hadn't been thrilled at having to come in so late in the evening but if there was one thing the man hated, it was being out of the loop.

"_Funny that he doesn't seem to have a problem with keeping others in the dark though"_, Audrey had remarked when he had made that observation.

Afterwards, they drove back to Nathan's house in comfortable silence and stretched out on the couch together for a couple of hours, watching an old movie on T.V. before going to bed. Nathan's bedroom was mostly dark, the only light coming through the tiny cracks between the closed blinds from the neighbor's porch light which allowed him see the outline of where the furniture and door were located inside the room.

He silently waited for another noise to be made. It wasn't like the floors in the living room or kitchen creaking wasn't unheard of, it was just that someone had to be walking on them in order to produce that sound. Sure, his house made noises when it settled at night, but that particular sound was not one of them.

Audrey lay next to him, still sound asleep. She was curled up on her side facing away from him, her back pressed against his chest and her hands loosely gripped his forearms which were wrapped around her middle. Her face was partially obscured by her hair and Nathan had to stomp on the urge to let go of her and move the hair out of her eyes. He didn't want to wake her unless he had to.

His head whipped back around to look at the doorway again when he heard another distinct creaking sound, this one softer then the last. He gently let go of Audrey and slid down the mattress to where he remembered leaving his pants on the floor near the dresser. That same dresser was currently housing his sidearm which, according to the raised hairs on the back of his neck, Nathan needed. He heard Audrey shift in the bed and turned to look at her as she moved her head around in confusion, probably wondering where he had gone. Once she spotted him, she opened her mouth but Nathan lifted his finger to his lips indicating that she needed to stay quiet.

Silently he put on his pants since he'd only worn a pair of boxer briefs to bed and went to the dresser, opening the top drawer and retrieving the gun along with the full clip he had taken out earlier that evening. Looking over at Audrey he saw that she had gotten out of bed as well and was loading her own gun, not bothering to cover the tank top and sleep shorts she was wearing. He hated that even with the gun in her hand and her shoulders straight, ready to jump into action, she still looked horribly vulnerable. They both were vulnerable. It wasn't right that the outside was encroaching on what he considered his, and now her, inner sanctum. Didn't they do enough on a daily basis to earn a few hours of uninterrupted peace?

A third creak, this one definitely made by someone's weight shifting on the floor boards in the kitchen, caused Audrey's head to shoot up and she swiftly moved to stand next to him as she recognized the danger they were in. Nathan made a quick hand gesture telling Audrey let him go check first and to follow behind at a distance and then cautiously left the bedroom. He made sure to put his back against the wall and keep away from the spots in the middle of the hall he knew would make a noise if he stepped there, giving away their position. Audrey followed his lead and stayed a few steps behind him.

He could hear hushed voices frantically whispering to each other once he reached the end of the hallway. He could just see into the living room which was in full view of the kitchen since it had only a small wall separating them and two open entrances. He knew leaving the hallway would give him away so he waited for an opening to move. Turning his head, he held up a hand indicating the Audrey needed to stop and wait which she promptly obeyed, leaving a few feet of space between them.

The whispering voices had increased their volume and Nathan could plainly hear two females arguing with each other. What they were saying was still unclear but he hoped they were distracted enough so that he and Audrey could make their moves. Raising his hand, Nathan motioned for Audrey to follow his lead and he quickly and quietly stalked through the living room and into the kitchen, gun drawn and ready. Staying near the wall, he flicked the lights on in the kitchen and rapidly blinked his eyes so that they would get used to the light faster then the two intruders who weren't expecting the sudden brightness.

"Stay where you are, move one muscle and I'll shoot," Nathan said, voice low and angry.

Audrey had moved to the other side of the kitchen where there was an entrance that was near the front door, blocking any kind of exit.

"I'd listen to him, he's not a big fan of either of you at the moment," Audrey said dryly, pointing her gun at the two women.

There, standing stock still in the middle of his modest kitchen, was Annabelle and Jaime Gaynes who had that messy look of two people who had been camping for a few days without any of their usual amenities. It was easy to tell them apart, Annabelle being older and a bit bigger then other tiny woman who glared at Nathan with hatred burning deep in her dark eyes. They both had the same dark hair and eyes with similar facial features making them look more like sisters then cousins.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" Jaime Gaynes hissed at her cousin who was frozen beside her. "Do what we came here to do."

"No," the other woman said, voice breaking into a sob as she covered her face with small, shaking hands.

The younger, smaller woman's right arm swung out lightning fast and Nathan almost cringed at the loud crack her hand made as it connected with her cousins cheek which was only partially protected by her cupped hands. The force of the slap rocked the woman back slightly and her hands dropped, revealing desperate and scared red-rimmed eyes. Nathan blinked as a drop of liquid landed in his eye. Glancing at Audrey, he noticed her eyes had widened and that her skin was glistening with sweat. While he had no idea if the temperature inside his house had risen, his now damp hair and skin suggested that they needed to put a stop to whatever was going on between the two women ASAP.

"I thought I said no moving," Nathan growled.

Jaime turned her head to glare at him which was all the distraction Audrey needed to grab Annabelle's arm and tug her toward the front door.

"I think some air would be nice," Audrey said, giving Nathan a look that stopped any protest he might have made. "Yup, some cool night air might stop the situation from escalating. Cool down some tempers, too, don't you think Annabelle?"

"Yes, please. I need to get out of here before it's too late," the woman begged, quickly moving to the door with Audrey on her heels.

"Hey Parker," Nathan said, keeping his eyes and gun trained on Jaime Gaynes who seemed to be physically deflating before his eyes, arms wrapped around her middle while she hunched over. "Make sure she doesn't light my garage on fire, would you?"

"It's not like you use it much anyway," Audrey said with a shrug.

* * *

The sun had already been up for a couple of hours by the time Audrey and Nathan left the station.

The two Gaynes women had been separated and placed at opposite sides of the station while they were interviewed during the rest of the night. Jaime Gaynes hadn't said much, which did not surprise anyone. She barely even acknowledged her parents when they arrived shortly before dawn. Nathan was pretty sure that she would end up in an institution by the time lawyers and a judge got involved. Annabelle was returned to the Freddie, much to her own relief. She had only started one fire in the trashcan near Thompson's desk when she became particularly agitated in the middle of her interview. Nathan had calmly used a fire extinguisher to put it out and the ruined trashcan was tossed in the dumpster behind the station while Annabelle took a few minutes to compose herself.

It seemed that Jaime was able to use her anger and Annabelle's fear to bully Annabelle into starting fires wherever Jaime wanted. Without her medication, Annabelle was becoming more unstable and easier for her cousin to manipulate. Since Annabelle's ability was controlled by her emotions, all it took were a few harsh words to agitate the woman and poof, a fire would start nearby.

Sighing tiredly, Audrey trudged across the parking lot towards Nathan's truck and glanced at her partner as he walked beside her. While wide awake, she noticed he had dark circles under his eyes and he kept scrunching up his forehead, a sign that he was stressed.

"What's the matter? We solved the case and nobody got hurt. You look like somebody kicked your dog or something," Audrey said, bumping his arm with her shoulder.

Nathan looked down at her with a small but tired smile, "It's nothing, just tired."

"Bull. Something's definitely up with you. Besides, we got the day off now and can go back to sleep in a little bit if you want. Seriously, what's wrong?"

Nathan stopped in front of his truck and leaned against the hood, "Really, it's not a big deal. It's just, I'm bothered that someone came into my house and tried to fry us while we were asleep. It's a little disturbing."

Audrey mimicked his stance and leaned against the truck's hood directly facing Nathan, "I can understand that. Come on, Wournos. I'm taking you out for pancakes. That always seems to make you feel better."

Nathan smiled and slid into his truck beside his partner. "Fine, but this doesn't count as our date so no getting fresh after."

Audrey's laugh filled up the cab of his truck and Nathan's smile grew wider. Pancakes definitely made everything better.


	19. Chapter 19

Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing. This will be the final chapter and I hope you have all enjoyed the story. My apologies if the last chapter and this one seem kind of hurried and not that great. Honestly, I really wanted to finish this but have kind of dried up on ideas on where to go next with the story. Hopefully once the new season of Haven starts I will feel inspired to write more (and better). I received a kind yet honest review stating that the last chapter felt contrived and I completely agree, thank you for your honesty. Overall, I hope everyone has enjoyed this story as a whole, I know I've had fun writing it. Also, this has been the longest and most reviewed story I've written so far. Again, thanks for reading. BTW, Nathan can feel sensation in this story because when I started it, we only knew he couldn't feel pain and temperature.-

Audrey never did end up moving out of Nathan's house.

It wasn't something she and Nathan planned or really even talked much about (at first anyway). There just never seemed to be enough time in the day to look for a new place to live between her job and being with Nathan, who always had something else better planned whenever she brought it up. She caught on pretty quickly that he didn't want her to go anywhere and honestly, Audrey didn't really want to leave. So she stayed and kept her mouth shut about it.

Their first date took place a couple of days after they apprehended the Gaynes. Nathan went all out and made reservations at a restaurant outside of Haven (to minimize the chance of being stared at or interrupted). He was nervous as hell and having to wear a jacket with a tie wasn't helping any with the way his hands were sweating. Then, Audrey opened the bedroom door and stepped out in a simple skirt and soft sweater set and all of his apprehension just evaporated. They smiled at each other and she held onto his arm for balance while she stepped into the low heel shoes that she had left out in the living room earlier that day. Nathan felt his chest swell at the simple yet telling action and wondered if that would be one of the many quirks that Audrey had that he would get to experience every day for as long as she would have him. He did make a face when she straightened up his tie but he let her play with the knot and smooth down the small piece of fabric without any verbal protest.

"Don't you clean up nice," she grinned once she was finished.

Nathan just smiled and covered her hand that laid flat against his chest with his own before pulling it up to his mouth and kissing the back of it. Eyebrows raised, Audrey rolled her eyes but her cheeks were starting to turn that fascinating shade of pink that he noticed seemed to happen when someone interrupted them during an intimate moment, like the Chief at the station a few days ago, or when he did something that made her feel vulnerable. He figured out that while her mouth and body language might say one thing, her blush told him something else and that was what he paid attention to. A blush meant that he had done something right, something she secretly loved and would rather poke her own eyes out than admit.

Dinner went off without a hitch. The restaurant was intimate and dimly lit. The food was great, the wine excellent and the conversation flowed without any of those horrible awkward pauses that first dates sometimes were full of. Of course, Nathan figured that since he and Audrey lived and worked together, they already knew each other better than any other couple on their first date would. By the time the check had arrived, they were in the middle of a friendly yet heated debate over the strangest person they'd ever arrested (Nathan had clearly won that argument but Audrey never gave up on anything easily) .

The ride home was quiet and they held hands the entire time. A peaceful silence had settled over them and while both knew it wouldn't last given their occupations and where they lived, they enjoyed it while they could.

Once they reached Nathan's house and left the truck, Audrey paused just outside of the front door as Nathan quickly unlocked it. He held the door open for her but Audrey leaned against the door frame instead and smirked at him.

"Don't I get a kiss goodnight?" she asked.

"Out here?" Nathan asked, then jerked his head towards the neighbor's house where he could see a face trying and failing to hide behind a half closed curtain. "You do realize the whole neighborhood is watching. The phone lines around town are really going to be buzzing tonight."

"Well then, I for one do not want to disappoint. I mean, we might as well give them something to talk about," Audrey said as she took a step away from the doorframe and into Nathan's personal space.

"Who knew that my partner was an exhibitionist. Huh," Nathan said before Audrey cut him off by placing her hands on his shoulders and lifting herself up on her tip toes to kiss him.

Even though Audrey had started the kiss, Nathan quickly took control of it. He wrapped his arms around her and with one hand cupping the back of her head he kissed her until he felt her nails dig into his shoulders. Lifting his head back up he took a large breath of air to try to calm himself down but stopped once he looked down into Audrey's face. Her blue eyes were dark, her skin flushed and her lips parted as she tried to catch her breath as well. Nathan could feel her breasts brush against him as her chest rose and fell and he lifted his hand to smooth down her wind ruffled hair.

"I think I'm done being a gentleman," Nathan said, gently pushing Audrey backwards into the house.

Her hands tightened against his shoulders as she let him lead her inside, "It's about goddamned time, Wournos.

Audrey woke up before Nathan the next morning. She slowly pried her eyes open and tried to roll over but Nathan had his arms wrapped securely around her waist. She could feel his bare chest against her back, actually she could feel his bare everything and snuggled back against him. It wasn't like they had to be anywhere that day and Audrey wanted to enjoy the silence of the morning with Nathan's warmth wrapped around her like a blanket and his breath on her shoulder making goose bumps appear up and down her arm.

"What time is it?" Nathan's deep voice asked, thick with sleep.

"Clock's on your side," Audrey said with a shrug.

She felt Nathan shift slightly and then wiggle back into place, "It's only seven, too early."

Sighing, she mumbled her agreement and turned her body so that she was facing Nathan. He loosened his hold on her to give her a little space and ran his hand up and down her back which instantly made her eyes drop. She sighed again as she moved closer to him, abandoning her pillow for his. She felt his lips rest against her forehead and she slid one arm around his waist, pulling him against her until their bodies were pressed together. It wasn't long until they were both fast asleep again and hours later Audrey would wake up to Nathan kissing a trail down her body, creating more goose bumps. Neither would leave the house that day.

A couple of months later the Chief slapped a sheet of paper face down onto Audrey's desk and grumbled that he would need it back by the end of the day. Confused, she glanced across the office at Nathan who looked up from the report he was writing and he shrugged his reply. Turning the paper over, she narrowed her eyes as she read it.

"Permanent Change of Address," she read out loud.

Nathan just stared at her so she continued, "Your dad already filled it out for me. He put down your address."

"Makes sense," Nathan said.

Audrey rolled her eyes. She hated when he did his 'man of few words' routine. It usually just meant that he was uncomfortable and wasn't sure how to move around a verbal minefield without it blowing up in his face.

"I think that he's trying to make a point about us living together. You know, making it official or something," Audrey said, frowning down at the paper in question.

Nathan just stared at her. She rolled her eyes again.

"Well, is it official? Do we live together?" Audrey asked.

"Yes," Nathan answered, expression still guarded.

"Okay then," Audrey said, picking up a pen and signing the bottom of the paper.

She stood up, grabbed the paper and made her way over to his desk. Giving him a look of exasperation she caressed his cheek with her empty hand and bent down to give him a quick peck on the lips.

"I hope this isn't how you propose someday," she said and grinned as she walked away from him and out of the office, feeling his shocked stare against her back.

Audrey nodded to herself as she walked towards the Chief's office. Moving to Haven was definitely the best decision that Audrey had ever made. Next to moving in with Nathan, of course.


End file.
